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Masculinity and stereotypes in movies
Real women have curves culture essay
Masculinity and stereotypes in movies
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Josefina Lopez’s play Real Women Have Curves and Patricia Cardoso’s film adaptation both address issues of immigration, feminine empowerment, and relationships between men and women differently. Lopez’s play represents the fear and struggle that many undocumented immigrants experience in their search for a better life. Lopez’s play shows what it is like to be a woman who refuses to confine to societal expectations. Ana’s relationships with men in the film are represented unrealistically. While the play disregards men in general, the film presents men as positive figures. As the play brings close attention to these issues, the film disparages these themes in order to befit a Hollywood-oriented audience. The film adaptation does not present these …show more content…
issues explicitly. The play version, in contrast to the film version, offers a more realistic perspective regarding issues of immigration, feminine empowerment, and relationships. By presenting this more realistic perspective, Josefina Lopez sheds light on not only the struggles that women experience but also on their resistance, fight for liberation, and the fact that “women are powerful” (69). In comparison to the play, the movie does not detail the harsh realities five women face regarding immigration; however, Lopez shows how resistant women actually are. In the film immigration is only discussed when Ana is accepted to a prestigious university. Upon finding out about Ana’s acceptance to Columbia University, Ana’s teacher confronts her father and argues, “Sir you left your country for a better opportunity and now, it’s Ana’s turn.” Ana’s father was also an immigrant with dreams of a better life, but he does not give Ana the opportunity to live a better life by attending college. Instead, Ana’s parents want her to go through the same struggles and hardship they did. The film does not detail the lasting effects that immigration had on the characters. However, in the play we see the setbacks, fear, and effects that strike as a result of immigration. Carmen intones, “¡Ayy, de veras! I forget! All those years of being an ilegal, I still can’t get used to it” (15). La migra still provokes fear upon the women even though they are citizens. Immigration left the women with negative memories that continue to trigger them, especially Estela who does not have her citizenship.Ana even lost a year of school because of her ineligibility to apply for FAFSA. Overall, the film disregards the issue of immigration while the play presents a more relatable perspective. Lopez makes an important statement about immigration in the playwright’s notes by stating, “I hope that someday this country recognizes the very important contributions of undocumented people and remembers that they too came to this country in search of a better life” (6). The fact that Lopez brings this up shows that undocumented people are unrecognized which is exactly what happens in Cardoso’s portrayal of the play.Lopez wants to show that women are resistant and would do anything to have a better life. The play presents a more realistic perspective of feminine empowerment with Ana’s self empowerment to defy and liberate herself from societal expectations. This illustrates Lopez’ point that all women can empower themselves without the help of a male figure. By having Ana empower herself to go to college, rather than having her teacher empower her, Lopez shows that women have the power to make their own choices and the power to defy societal expectations. In the play, Ana wants to be liberated from the oppressive lifestyle women tolerated. Ana emphasizes, “I wasn’t going to end up like them. I was going to be better than them. And I wanted to show them how much smarter and liberated I was” (69). Ana does not want to live the oppressed lifestyle her mother and colleagues tolerated. Working in the factory amongst her acquiescent colleagues, however, helped Ana realize something. Ana describes, “But in their subtle ways they taught me about the loneliness of being women in a country that looks down on us for being mothers and submissive wives” (69). Ana rejects these societal judgements because she knows she has what it takes to take ownership of her own actions, even if it means going to college and infuriating her mom. In the film, Ana and her mother end on bad terms because she goes to college against her mother’s will. Ana’s primary motivator to go to college in the film was her teacher. In the beginning, Ana did not put up a fight to go to college even though scholarships and other resources were available to her. Ana’s teacher, however, is close friends with the dean of admission at Columbia University so he personally hands Ana’s application to him which puts her at an advantage. It was only with the motivation from her teacher that Ana decided to go to college.This is unrealistic because in the play, Ana’s decision to go to college was not influenced by anyone else other than herself. As a result, Ana liberates herself from societal expectations. Lopez’ play represents a realistic perspective that women are powerful and dominant forces while the film depicts men as the dominant and angelic forces.
In the play, Estela and her love interest do not have the best relationship. Estella describes, “I thought he was interested in me because he was impressed that I owned this factory, my ‘intelligence,’... When am I going to meet that man who will see the real me?” (59). Estela’s love interest disrespects her so Estela stops interacting with him. Lopez also depicts men as perpetrators when a caller on the radio talks about her abusive boyfriend. The caller explains, “I don’t know what has happened to him. He tells me if I did whatever he asked he wouldn’t hit me. But I do what he says and it’s still not good enough” (33). This abuse is so common in relationships that Carmen describes herself as lucky to not have that kind of relationship. Ana then stands up and empowers the rest of the women to exercise their rights to stop abuse. In contrast, the film paints a Hollywood-esque picture of love. Even though Ana’s boyfriend showed her affection and respect, Ana left him after they slept together which shows the man as the victim. Evidently, the film introduces more men into the story which takes away from the intimate, feminine setting of the play. The men in the play have more insignificant roles and are seen as perpetrators, but Lopez shows how the women stick together. Although men played more significant and angelic roles in the film, Lopez’s play postulates the more realistic side of relationships while illustrating that women are powerful
too. Lopez does not intend her play to befit to a Hollywood Oriented audience. Lopez vividly shows the struggles five women deal with without sugar coating the play. Cardoso’s film adaptation, however, takes away the rawness of Lopez’s play, which may be more difficult to relate to. By not including details of immigration, an angelic depiction of men, and taking away from women empowerment, the film adaptation shows a mediocre representation of what it is like to be an undocumented, latina woman. The play truly represents the power of women to fight for liberation of societal expectations and their resistance towards disrespect and immigration in a way that is relatable. The film does not capture the true representation of flawed women with dignity, courage, and drive the same way that the play can. Lopez’s play may not be a Hollywood-esque portrayal of undocumented, latina women, but it does portray that “real women have flaws, take chances, know their hearts, embrace life, and have curves.”
While most movies of the 2000s somehow spoke about sex among young adults, for the first time the emphasis is on the virginity of a Mexican American female. In part this topic is not discussed openly, it is only discussed awkwardly in a mother to daughter conversation. This movie opens the eye to many families conservative other this matter, Ana’s mother openly shames her daughter to losing her virginity to a random person which was not the case. In this scene, rather than have a heartwarming conversation with her daughter she is angry possibly at her daughter but possibly at herself for not knowing what her daughter was doing. Ana is prepared to lose her virginity and is responsible to purchase contraceptives something also talked about but mostly whispered in the chicano community. Ana states that women get pregnant not because they are having sex but because they are having it unprotected or don’t know how to use different methods of contraceptive. The talk among Mexican American families is not how to use contraceptives rather it is do not get pregnant or “ELSE”. Real Women Have Curves shows that the real problem is not getting pregnant it is the lack of communication Mexican American women have with their
As much as men are working, so are women, but ultimately they do not face the same obstacles. For example, “Even if one subscribes to a solely economic theory of oppression, how can one ignore that over half of the world's workers are female who suffer discrimination not only in the workplace, but also at home and in all the areas sex-related abuse” (Moraga 98). This gives readers a point of view in which women are marginalized in the work place, at home, and other areas alike. Here Moraga gives historical accounts of Chicana feminists and how they used their experiences to give speeches and create theories that would be of relevance. More so, Moraga states how the U.S. passes new bills that secretly oppress the poor and people of color, which their community falls under, and more specifically, women. For instance, “The form their misogyny takes is the dissolution of government-assisted abortions for the poor, bills to limit teenage girls’ right to birth control ... These backward political moves hurt all women, but most especially the poor and "colored." (Moraga 101). This creates women to feel powerless when it comes to control one’s body and leads them to be oppressed politically. This places the government to act as a protagonist, and the style of writing Moraga places them in, shines more light to the bad they can do, especially to women of color. Moraga uses the words, “backward moves”
For this assessment, I have chosen the movie Real Women Have Curves. The movie follows a traditional Mexican family and their struggle to survive in America. The film focuses, on the youngest American-born daughter Ana. Ana lives in a Hispanic community in East Los Angeles the daughter of Latino working immigrants from Mexico. Her family unit consists of her parents, two brothers, older sister and her grandfather. The movie shows the conflict Ana faces between the clashes of the two cultures. The film shows that Ana goes to great lengths to attend school every day. Ana has had a successful school career, as her peers are getting ready to attend college. She’s expected to get a job to financially help her struggling family. She
Class, gender, race, and ethnicity play important roles in the film “Real Women Have Curves” by Patricia Cardoso. Ana is the main character and is portrayed as a Hispanic/Latino teenager finishing her senior year of high school. Having grown up in a Roman Catholic house hold, her family expects her to stay home and take care of the family and eventually get married and start a family of her own soon. However, Ana has different plans for herself and does not want to follow traditions and beliefs that her mother tries to force against her.
As showed in the film, Latino American often misrepresented and underrepresented both in front of and under the camera. American Hispanic often portrayed as lazy, unintelligent, greasy and criminal. Hispanic women often pictured comfortable sexuality as prostitution in film production; while Hispanic actors limit to criminal characters such as drug dealers, gangster, and provide the power for the white American. Audiences have less interaction with Latino in their real world might be easily framed by media images regarding the race and ethnicity. The lack of Hispanic history and culture understanding allows these media portrayals to change and form unfavorable behavior and attitude against Latino communities.
There is an abundant amount of movies that are inspiring to people, and throughout the years there have been empowering messages for some women. In Real Women Have Curves produced by Effie Lavoo and George brown, there is an empowering message for women of all types. The film is about a Spanish 18-year-old girl who struggles with a life of a regular Spanish woman. While this movie applies more towards Spanish woman it can also empower women of all types. Ana the main character wants to attend college, and she is a bright girl. The problem is she cannot attend college ,because, of the nature of the Spanish community she comes from. The mother constantly puts her down for her weight and not being marriage material. Ana is also expected to help the family with earning money, which is one of the reasons she is not being allowed to go to college. As the mother says, “I have worked since I was 13 years old now it is her turn” (). Ana’s mother believes Ana need to work for the family since she has become of age, and that she needs to get married because that is what women are supposed to do.
By examining the narrative voice as well as the cultural restraints placed on them, readers can see the sexist culture in the novel and that the novel itself does not necessarily advocate this misogyny. Yunior, a Dominican man, is the overall narrator of the novel, so readers essentially see everything through his masculine eye. When discussing a brief fling with Lola, Oscar’s sister, Yunior says, “Even those nights after I got jumped she wouldn’t let me steal on her ass for nothing. So you can sleep in my bed but you can’t sleep with me?” (Diaz 169) His question suggests that it is his right to sleep with her, and his discussion of Lola herself objectifies her by noting only her body and her refusal to use it. This objectification is clearly sexist, but it is a reflection of the narrative voice, Yunior, not of Lola. Yunior will casually refer to a woman as “a bitch” (Diaz 183), which is clearly demeaning, but it is a man’s view and does not reflect on the substance of the women. It shows readers the culture he was raised in, not an actual portrayal of the women, illustrating a misogynist society but not a misogynistic novel. In the Dominican Republic, gender-based violence is the fourth leading cause of death, hinting at the overall problems caused by the hyper-sexualized nature of the country. Sociologist Denise Paiewonsky
Stages of cultural identity development can be easily recognized in movies and films depicting realistic lives of people and their culture. The movie, Real Women Have Curves, is a good example of this illustration. Conformity, dissonance and appreciating, resistance and immersion, introspection, and universal awareness are the five stages of cultural identity and the media review offers a brief description of each stage along with a character from the movie that represents that particular stage. Additionally, covered in this media review is lasting impressions on me and what I found most memorable, and what roles did gender play; especially the male roles.
Being a curvaceous young woman is hard enough. Especially when you’re trying to find love, you’re seeking approval and anticipating a better future for yourself. The film Real Women Have Curves stresses how important higher education is to a Mexican-American teenager and the wrath she endures from her mother because of her weight and aspiration. Mark Twain stated that, “Keep away from those who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you believe that you too can become great” (http://thinkexist.com/quotation/keepaway_from_those_who_try_to_belittleyour/215215.html). I believe I can personally relate to Real Women Have Curves, the reason being is because I’m a daughter, I’m overweight, and I’m seeking a post-secondary education. This is a synopsis of Real Women Have Curves; I’ll reveal why the film is so inspiring to me, I’ll give feedback from movie reviews, and I’ll use documents from my course’s textbook, to fully develop my ideas.
In the film, Tina (the Latina) plays the love interest of the main character Mookie. Together, they had a child in which he does not care for often which leaves her very angry. However, when Mookie arrives in her home, he immediately tells her to take her clothes off, and after one protest she complies. In media, the stereotype for the Latina is that she is sexy, fierce, and loud - this movie did not portray the Latina any differently. Perhaps it was out of context for this type of movie, but in general I wish there was more representation of Latinas in different roles. Growing up, I have never seen a Latina in the fields of academia, medicine, business or anything except for housekeeping, which can be discouraging to a girl’s self-esteem. The Latina women I have been exposed to were all known for their looks or assets and not their personal talents. For instance, Sofia Vergara often plays the ‘spicy’ Latina and most people acknowledge her for her beauty and not her acting. While this may not be entirely negative, it still only portrays a slim view of what Latinas are and what they do or stand for. While the issue on the surface may be that Latinas are hypersexualized, the deeper implications are that placing a label to define Latinas under one category limits their abilities and fails to acknowledge the variations of all the different Latina
Judith Ortiz Cofer, a professor of english and creative writing, tackles gender roles as well as cultural stereotypes in “ The Myth of the Latin Woman” and challenges them by attempting to replace the stereotypes with the realities. In “The Myth of the Latin Woman” Cofer discusses her life in America as a Puerto Rican woman. She also shares her stories of when she was stereotyped and how gender roles play a role in how Latinos are viewed. Stereotypes will follow you around because of your appearance and how the media portrays Latinas.
The eternal endeavor of obtaining a realistic sense of selfhood is depicted for all struggling women of color in Gloria Anzaldua’s “Borderlands/La Frontera” (1987). Anzaldua illustrates the oppressing realities of her world – one that sets limitations for the minority. Albeit the obvious restraints against the white majority (the physical borderland between the U.S. and Mexico), there is a constant and overwhelming emotional battle against the psychological “borderlands” instilled in Anzaldua as she desperately seeks recognition as an openly queer Mestiza woman. With being a Mestiza comes a lot of cultural stereotypes that more than often try to define ones’ role in the world – especially if you are those whom have privilege above the “others”.
Upon further reading, however, one begins to observe a complete loss of rationality in the women characters. It looks as if, when a significant male character abandons the female in death or desertion, the woman loses all sense of responsibility and reason and shuts herself off into seclusion. This incident is seen happening, in one form or another, to Rebeca, Amaranta, Fernanda, Meme, and Ursula, to a certain extent, bringing up the possibility that the men may, in actuality, be h...
In this play, the men and women characters are separated even from their first entrance onto the stage. To the intuitive reader (or playgoer), the gender differences are immediately apparent when the men walk confidently into the room and over to the heater while the women timidly creep only through the door and stand huddled together. This separation between genders becomes more apparent when the characters proceed in investigating the murder. The men focus on means while the women focus on motive: action vs. emotion. While the men...
I agree with the play’s message, because throughout the whole production of this play, the women FuenteOvejuna were picked off as if they were a sheep that lost her herd by the antagonist. As the people of FuenteOvejuna banded together to fight back against the predator, Command Guzman, he was rendered powerless due to the sheer number of enraged citizens. Not only the theme was brought up repeatedly as Commander Guzman attacked several women, but the University of Houston product kept addressing who was the protagonist and antagonist by using different shades of