COMM 444 - Feminist Analysis (prezi) PDF

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A. Overview a. Understanding the cultural rules surrounding what it means to be masculine and feminine b. Feminist critics focus on revealing the limiting nature of mass media in reinforcing dominant social understanding of gender c. Feminism deconstructs oppressive system B. Feminism a. Feminism: a political project that explores the diverse ways to men and women are socially empowered or disempowered b. Bell hooks: “feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression” c. Sexism: is discrimination based upon a person’s sex d. Sex: refers to the innate biological differentiation between men and women e. Gender: refers to the culturally constructed differences between men and women f. Essentialism: the belief that gender distinctions are innate and natural g. Patriarchy is a system of power relations in which women’s interests are subordinated to those of men h. Feminism attempts to recognize and disable patriarchal social systems that disempower women i. Both women and men are harmed by patriarchy C. Stereotyping in American Media a. Stereotype: a misleading and simplified representation of a particular social group. i. Example: Got Milk Ad ii. Mental shortcuts that allow us to make fast judgements and move on b. Gendered stereotypes in American Media: i. public/private ii. active/passive iii. logical/emotional iv. Sexual subject/sexual object D. Feminists’ movement a. First wave feminism i. Late 1700s - early 1900s ii. Highlight the inequalities between the sexes iii. Activists like Susan B. Anthony and Victoria Woodhull contribute to the women’s suffrage movement, which leads to National Universal Suffrage in 1920 with the passing of the Nineteenth Amendment b. Second wave feminism i. Early 1960s - late 1970s ii. Building on more equal working conditions necessary in America during World War II iii. Movements such as the National Organization for Women (NOW) 1. Formed in 1966

2. Cohere feminist political activism Writers like Simone de Beauvoir (Le deuxieme sexe, 1972) and Elaine Showalter established the groundwork for the dissemination of feminist theories dove-tailed with the American Civil Rights movement c. Third wave feminism i. Early 1990s - present ii. Resisting the perceived essentialist (over generalized, over simplified) ideologies and a white, heterosexual, middle class focus of second wave feminism iii. Third wave feminism borrows from post-structural and contemporary gender and race theories to expand on marginalized populations’ experiences iv. Writers like Alice Walker work to “...reconcile it [feminism] with the concerns of the black community... [and] the survival and wholeness of her people, men and women both, and for the promotion of dialog and community as well as for the valorization of women and of all the varieties of work women perform.” Postfeminism a. Refers to a conceptual shift within feminist movements b. An evolution in feminist emphasis from the systematic oppression of all women to the empowerment of individual women The Bechdel Test a. It has to have at least two [named] women in it b. Who talk to each other c. About something besides a man Typical questions in Feminist Analysis a. How is the relationship between men and women portrayed? b. What are the power relationships between men and women (or characters assuming male/female roles)? c. How are male and female roles defined? d. What constitutes masculinity and femininity? e. How do characters embody these traits? f. Do characters take on traits from opposite genders? How so? How does this change others’ reactions to them? g. What does the artifact reveal about the operations (economically, politically, socially, or psychologically) of patriarchy? h. How does the artifact imply about the possibilities of sisterhood as a mode of resisting patriarchy? Sample outline of an essay which examines Disney’s “Snow White” through a feminist lens a. Introduction i. Overview iv.

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1. Brief summary/info about Disney’s “Snow White”: who wrote script, when it came out, remastering, etc. 2. Thesis: “Snow White is full of rigid gender stereotypes; we deserve a fresh re-telling of this story which makes the protagonist a full being, an active agent with volition, and a complex person rather than a passive, child-like toy of witches and brave princes.” ii. Background information 1. Define “stereotype” and explain/summarize female stereotypes in the west: a. Tom Boy b. The Blonde c. Great Mother d. Conniving B***h e. Nature goddess f. Etc. b. Body (support for Thesis) i. Close reading of film (by specific stereotype) 1. Nature goddess a. Define, describe and discuss this particular stereotype b. Example: opening scene (summarize scene; describe character and explain how she is magically connected to nature) 2. Daddy’s Girl a. Define, describe, and discuss this particular stereotype b. Example: meeting the prince (summarize scene and discuss her passivity; how she views prince as almost a parent/father) c. Example: temptation by the witch (summarize scene and discuss her gullibility) 3. The Witch/Conniving B***h a. Define, describe, and discuss this particular stereotype b. Example: looking in mirror, obsession with appearance, scheming, back scratching, and devious 4. Good Girl/Bad Girl Dichotomy a. Define, describe, and discuss this particular stereotype b. Discuss how the film essentially shows just two females: a baby like daddy’s girl and an evil b***h. No variety; we are lead to believe that there are only two ways to be a woman (notice, by contrast, how distinct and various the male elves are) c. Conclusion i. Reaffirm thesis ii. Forecast (looking ahead; imagining an all-new Snow White)

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Doing Feminist Analysis a. Objective: i. The aim of this outline is to utilize concepts of Feminist anlysis to examine media texts. Specifically, you will investigate how stereotypes of gender and sexuality function as a convention of American Television/and or Media. b. Guiding Questions: i. What gender stereotypes discussed in the Feminist Analysis chapter (active/passive, public/private, logical/emotional, sexual subject/sexual object) do you see present in the artifact? ii. What additional gender stereotypes can you identify? How might they be related to the four listed above? iii. Are there any examples of gender reversals in the artifact? (For example, men acting emotionally?)...