Crash Gender Analysis

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Media’s role in the construction of Gender
Throughout the 2004 drama, Crash, societal gender roles are made apparent. The leading character, Rick Cabbot, is a powerful district attorney in L.A. and his spouse is a domestic housewife. He is independent and successful while she is dependent and unhappy. After dinner one evening, the couple is walking to their vehicle when they cross paths with two cautionary characters, Cabbots wife pulls herself closer to him for protection. He is strong and serves as a protector for his weak and powerless wife. Crash is one of the agglomeration of media sources which project gender norms. Constructivist gender theory claims that “the experience of being male or female in Canadian society is fundamentally a …show more content…

Shaw & Janet Lee, p.116). In other words, if our gender assignment matches our gender expression we are rewarded with acceptance for adhering to the cultural norm. Although, in order to do so, we must understand the societal definitions of male and female. Linda L. Lindsey provided a four point summary from Robert Brannon (1976) in her book Gender Roles outlining what it means to be a man in modern western society:
“1. No Sissy Stuff: The stigma of all stereotype feminine characteristics and qualities, including openness and …show more content…

210). These sexist messages become ingrained in the minds of their listeners, which in regards to rock music, is predominantly male (Kimmel, M.S., & Holler J. p. 243). From this, it would not be unreasonable to suggest that music plays a role in contemporary gender inequality. In addition, the hard and heavy sound of rock music reinforces the Give Em Hell: aura of aggression, violence and daring masculinity norm. Meanwhile music directed towards women reinforces today’s femininity ideals. “According to prominent scholar and theorist Martha Nussbaum (1995), seven key features are involved in the act of objectification; these include: instrumentality, denial of autonomy, inertness, fungibility, violability, ownership, and denial of subjectivity. Of particular relevance to the sexual objectification phenomenon, and thus of this study, scholar Rea Langton (2009) adds three more features to Nussbaum’s list: reduction to body, reduction to appearance, and silencing.” (Jamie Glantz, p. 23). An example of how contemporary music is objectifying women can be seen in the lyrical discourse of I’m A Slave For You by Britney Spears. In just the first stanza is a representation of the female ideal to be young; “I

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