White Chicks Movie Gender Roles

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Fieldwork 2: Analyzing Gender Roles
This fieldwork aims to sociologically analyze gender roles and expectations within the movie White Chicks. In this film brothers, Marcus and Kevin Copeland, play the role of two black FBI agents looking to get back into good graces with their superior after they accidentally ruined a drug bust. They are assigned to escort two rich white females, Brittney and Tiffany Wilson, to the Hamptons for Labor Day festivities. While traveling they experience a minor car accident, leaving the girls with a single scratch each on their face. Because of their socialite status, the sisters no longer wish to continue their trip in fear of humiliation. The agents fear losing their chance of redemption, so they decide to disguise …show more content…

Consequently, they must then take on parties, dates, auctions, beach days, and fashion shows, all while concealing their true male identities. While doing this, the movie portrays extreme stereotypes of gender roles and expectations. Although the portrayal of female expectations and characteristics is exaggerated for comedic effect, the underlying points and issues still remain. The way the brothers dress, speak, act, and understand their new social life as females, all contributes to the obvious contrast in gender specific qualities. The consistent sexualization of women and over pompous attitudes of men throughout the film provides exceptional evidence that society has established acceptable norms for both genders. These established roles of femininity and masculinity conflict within the undercover agents as they struggle to act poise, arrogant, non-confrontational, and sexy like their fellow female friends are, yet this is completely out of the norm for them as they are truly males. However, when they slip-up and allow their defensive masculine traits to show through it allows for not only a comedic break, but an exceptional …show more content…

When Marcus and Kevin are working the failed drug bust, all the employees involved in the scene at the gas station are males because this scene results in fighting, chasing, and shooting. All of these are stereotypical predominately male actions. After completing their assignment, Marcus arrives home from work expecting a hot meal and is disappointed when there is only take out. This pulls in gender ideology and the idea of the second shift by exampling male working stereotypes and female caretaking stereotypes. When returning to headquarters the next day Marcus suggests they take on their future assignment of escorting the sisters to the Hamptons and Kevin states, “I didn’t join the FBI to become a nanny I want to be on the streets where the action is.” This effectively shows traditional gender ideology as well. They believe as males they deserve to be front and center in the action, and that caretaking jobs were designed for women, not the other way around. In another aspect when the agents disguise themselves as the sisters, transforming themselves from African American males to white blonde females. In doing so they must mimic not only how they have already seen Brittney and Tiffany present themselves, but also how their peers in the Hamptons would expect to see them dress and act. This brings into play centerfold syndrome. This means that women are often

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