Gender Inequality in Hollywood

2415 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Examples of feminism in the film industry

Stereotypes in our society are not uncommon. We come across them every day without realizing it. It is in our human nature to create expectations of the people around us, which could be based upon their ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender or other factors. Stereotypes help us categorize a vast group of people that we may not know anything about, to think that they are smaller and less intimidating. I believe that the blame for these cookie-cutter patterns can lead directly back to the media in every sense of the word. Media is all around us, and affects our opinions and ability to think for ourselves. Whether it’s the latest box office hit or the headlining news, we are getting assumptions from every point of view, which makes it hard to form our own. But I personally think that the biggest influence of our time are in the cinematic arts.

Movies have been a huge part of the American culture since the motion pictures were first invented. Since the late eighteenth century, families have been going to the movie theater to spend quality time together. But as the action packed western thrillers soon turned to risque dramas, the idea of Hollywood made filmed changed drastically. In the early nineteen fifties, when televisions were becoming quite popular in the average American home, it was considered provocative to broadcast a married couple sitting in bed together. But today it would be considered a G rated program if it didn’t at least imply sexeul interests. This topic can be traced back to the stereotypes of Hollywood’s employees and how they influence us today.

From Actors to Actresses or even just the director’s assistant, everybody in Hollywood has an expectation from someone else. When people think about the q...

... middle of paper ...

... a child's life than motherhood. The interpretation is up to the audience, and sexist or not there still hints in the story by common belief of Hollywood critics.

Both these movies, although vastly different, are examples of implied male dominance. A term more commonly referred to is gender inequality, which sounds more staid but at the same time is also taken more seriously.

Works Cited

Castillo, Monica. "You Can Win an Oscar, but You Can't Win Respect." B Media. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Dec. 2012.

Gianoulus, Tina. St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture. Vol. 4. Detroit [u.a.: St. James, 2000. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web.

"Roundtable: Five Casting Directors on Crazy Auditions and Industry Sexism." The Hollywood Reporter. THR Staff, n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2013.

"Film Facts." WMM | RESOURCES | FILM FACTS. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2013.

Show More
Related

  • Movie Analysis: The Other Woman

    1385 Words  | 3 Pages

    This movie attempts to show this progression, and that depending on a man for the life one desires is a notion of the past. The suburban women were expected to rely solely on the man to live, without him she had minimal schooling and no way of survival in suburbia. Although this film still at times puts women into a negative light, but this was also a point of receiving a profit when the movie premiered. This movie received a good reaction from the public considering the public does not always take well to women in lead roles. Even though we live in a world that no longer projects women as accessories on a man’s arm, women still must be put into an objectifying light in order to make a profit consistently. Because the women gain a label of sexual being from the first camera angle, the man becomes “the bearer of the look of the spectator” (Mulvey). This is shown in the way that even though the women are the leads the man is still in control of the “film phantasy” (Mulvey). Films with women as the leads and in control of the films plot line rarely exceed that of the other because the spectator is so used to putting the control into the hands of a male. The dependency of women on men transcend the household it is a systemic epidemic that has been in effect since the beginning of time. Suburbia is a microcosm of the worlds inner workings. The women are forced into a role

    Read More

  • How Directors Work with Actors

    2632 Words  | 6 Pages

    The essay investigates how a director should communicate and work with actors during rehearsal and on set to produce engaging performances. The essay investigates different acting styles, the rehearsal process, directing on set and communication between actors and director. The essay assumes the actor has formal training and basic experience. The essay then proves effective communication achievable through the “actor’s vocabulary” is key not to over-direct and building trust with the actor.

    Read More

  • Gender Roles In Night Of The Living Dead

    795 Words  | 2 Pages

    Discriminating gender roles throughout the movie leaves one to believe if they are supposed to act a certain way. This film gives women and men roles that don’t exist anymore, during the 60s women were known to care for the family and take care of the house, basically working at home. However, a male was supposed to fight for his family, doing all the hard work so his wife didn’t have too. In today’s world, everyone does what makes them happy. You can’t tell a woman to stay at home, that makes them feel useless. Furthermore, males still play the roles of hard workers, they are powerful compared to a woman. However, in today’s world a male knows it isn’t right to boss a woman around, where in the 60s, it happened, today women have rights to do what they want not what they are

    Read More

  • Mestiza Consciousness Analysis

    1682 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Sundance Film Associations luncheon celebrating Women in Film in January of 2017 was covered by various news outlets, but with headlines that were not praising the speeches made there. Rather The Los Angeles Times characterized it as a triggered and heated debate, Mashable as uncomfortable, and Indiewire as actresses speaking over one another and thoughts going to sets of deaf ears. The main women in the debate were actresses Shirley MacLaine, Salma Hayek, and Jessica Williams, who are incredibly different from the others in many aspects, but most notably, in age, race and their stances on identity and victimhood. The debate began with how to handle maintaining and promoting a woman’s voice and identity in the face of the often sexist

    Read More

  • The Feminist Perspective of Buffy the Vampire Slayer

    5028 Words  | 11 Pages

    Whedon, Joss. Interview with Tasha Robinson. The Onion AV Club 37.31. 13 Dec 2002. <http://www.theonionavclub.com>

    Read More

  • Hispanic Culture in Like Water for Chocolate

    1774 Words  | 4 Pages

    The most important events of this film all revolve around the female characters. While there are some male charac...

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby: America in the 1920s

    2392 Words  | 5 Pages

    Epstein, Dan. 20th Century Pop Culture: The Early Years to 1949. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 2001. Print.

    Read More

  • The Role of Women in Screwball Comedy Films

    4993 Words  | 10 Pages

    Led by Laura Mulvey, feminist film critics have discussed the difficulty presented to female spectators by the controlling male gaze and narrative generally found in mainstream film, creating for female spectators a position that forces them into limited choices: "bisexual" identification with active male characters; identification with the passive, often victimized, female characters; or on occasion, identification with a "masculinized" active female character, who is generally punished for her unhealthy behavior. Before discussing recent improvements, it is important to note that a group of Classic Hollywood films regularly offered female spectators positive, female characters who were active in controlling narrative, gazing and desiring: the screwball comedy.

    Read More

  • Farrah Fawcett On Stiletto Power Analysis

    1140 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the past, women weren’t given the same opportunities as men. Men always seemed to have the upper hand. Women used to not be able to vote, work, or even be able to drive a car. To this day, women still are not taken seriously. Women who aspire feminine jobs such as modeling, fashion, and even acting receive an exceptional amount of criticism as well. They also are seen as easy bait for men to take advantage of. Unfortunately, Farrah Fawcett was one of them. Farrah Fawcett was a 1976 Charlie’s Angel, then soon became the decade’s premier poster girl. The 1980’s and on Farrah was an Emmy award winning actress. Nonetheless, the blank on blank video “Farrah Fawcett on Stiletto power” is a powerful eye opening interview about a taxi incident that utilizes compelling imagery, effective sound, appeal to emotion, and exceptional strength, in which Farrah Fawcett is finally seen as something more than a pretty woman in stilettos.

    Read More

  • Race, Class And Gender Stereotypes In Mass Media

    500 Words  | 1 Pages

    Throughout various forms of mass media, the awry representations of race, class and gender have gradually developed into a bountiful number of stereotypes, which audiences over the years have used to determine and mentally annotate clichés that pigeonhole society.

    Read More

  • Stereotypes In the Media

    483 Words  | 1 Pages

    Stereotypes In the Media Stereotypes play an important role in today's society and particularly in propaganda. According to the Webster's Dictionary, stereotyping is defined as a fixed conventional notion or conception of an individual or group of people, held by a number of people. Stereotypes can be basic or complex generalizations which people apply to individuals or groups based on their appearance, behaviour and beliefs. Stereotypes are found everywhere in the world. Though our world seems to be improving in many ways, it seems almost impossible to liberate it from stereotypes.

    Read More

  • Diversity in Cinema: A Need for Broader Representation

    1806 Words  | 4 Pages

    Undeniably, almost everyone has an idea of what to expect when they go to see a movie in a cinema. At this point in time, movies tend to follow certain trends, and can be categorized into specific tropes. We all know the classical romance stories of the nerdy girl being able to “change” the athletic super-star guy to fall in love with her, and the tale as old as time of superheroes saving the world from the forces of evil are also evident in many people's’ minds. However, as we are progressing, it is becoming evident that there are many people’s realities that are not being projected onto the big screen, and that we tend to see the same types of people represented over and over again. It becomes bland after a while to see the same heterosexual

    Read More

  • Acting Career Research Paper

    689 Words  | 2 Pages

    I have loved acting for as long as I can remember. At age three I entertained family members with reenactments of my favorite movie scenes and at thirteen I was cast in the American Conservatory Theater’s first Shakespearean performance through the Youth Conservatory—A Midsummer Night’s Dream. For the last five years, those eighth-floor classrooms in downtown San Francisco have served as a second home in which I thrive as an actress. When my mother enrolled me at A.C.T. I began taking acting very seriously and committed myself to training. Eventually, I decided that I wanted a career in the film industry.

    Read More

  • Catherine Deneuve

    1668 Words  | 4 Pages

    Thompson, John O., ‘Screen Acting and the Commutation Test’ in Gledhill, Christine (ed.), Stardom: Industry of Desire (London: Routledge, 1991), p.183-197

    Read More

  • TV and Film Industry

    967 Words  | 2 Pages

    Luzi, Evan. "7 Unrealistic Expectations of Film Industry Jobs." The Black and Blue. Web. 07 Apr. 2014.

    Read More

More about Gender Inequality in Hollywood

Open Document