Gender Inequality in Hollywood

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...

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... 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.