Modern family essay - Grade: B PDF

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essay based on how TV showed influence society and the world we live in and how we perceived certain characters on the show modern family to be ...

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Visual media has been one of the most successful instruments of revolutionizing drama and the various theoretical themes represented in the content. TV shows in the 90’s were influential in not only in presenting different social views of society but also a primary tool for educating the viewers about cultural issues existing among them by race, gender and status ("Reality TV: Remaking Television Culture," 2009, p. 23). A majority of these cultural-themed shows in a historical context had a tremendous impact on reawakening society to the gender-biased cultural truths and falsehoods. The dominant themes influenced by the second wave of feminism in the mainstream media were woman-centered. Post-feminism era of the 1970’s and 1980’S in America inspired creative content writers to be bold and broad in their imagination. HBO’s Sex and The City is a product of the era and considered by both critics and supporters a landmark cultural item of the late 90’s. The show subjectively reveals various gender-related theories predominantly feministic. This paper will critically analyze: Feminism theory, The Male Gaze Theory, Hegemony Masculinity Theory as shown in the Sex and The City show and examine how they relate in City where the four main characters reside exploring their influence on their lifestyles. Based on Candace Bushnell's novel with the same title, the daily life of women as main characters dominate the whole show and using their financial success as a stepping stone of an entirely different lifestyle that defies conventional wisdom that women over 35 cannot find love or live a sexually wild lifestyle. The show in length reveals these theories, and to some extent, sexual encounters are proverbially used to express the feminine power that women have over men. Sex And The City capture feminism theory as one of the dominant themes expressed by all the four characters. The gender inequality discourse centered on the women in the show is a major aspect of the feminist concepts that details elements of inequality in the social roles and choices

of their life. Stigmatization of the educated woman with a successful career and affluence is disapproved, and the characters seemingly live happy lives that their status can accord them. The argument that an older woman cannot find happiness in her prime years is a gender biased analogy that does not in any way represent the actual feeling of the modern woman who has total control of her life as opposed to anti-feminist concepts that the happiness of women is dependent on men. On the contrary, the Women in the show enjoy the fruits of the post-feminist era and explicitly in their account testify to the feeling of happiness and freedom. In a nutshell, they are an image of the liberated woman who detests male dominance and power in the social structure of society. Womanhood disentangles from theories supporting inequality of the man and the woman. Using their successful carriers, Sexual freedom and power Carie and her three friends occupy not only the highest social class in the city but also independently sustain their livelihoods independent of masculine control. Although critics of contemporary feminism discredit the show as being fictional and unrealistic in real life; women freedom is proved to be a possibility in the lives of these women. There is a considerable amount of actual evidence using the outburst reception the show got from the Liberal woman across the United States not only from women but also men. HBO’s rise in the commercial media was in part due to the success of the Show. All the six episodes aired between two centuries and the spill off of two movies is evidently a reflection of how American society identify’s with the Liberal Woman. She is independent, and her sexy physical characteristics exercise significant control over men who drool over her beauty. In the Words of Film critic, Laura Mulvey the Male Gaze theory supplement with the feminist approach to understanding the film. The theory put the fact of to whose end does the construction of Male Gaze scenes in Visual Narrative Cinema intend to serve? Does the physical film

creations of visual images of sexy women represent an aspect of freedom for the woman or is it an example of female objectification for the pleasure of the man? Several scholars have presented differing opinions on the theory, and Candice uses the films to create a distinction fictionally. The sexualisation of the women in the show attests some truth in the words of Mulvey which she states: “the gender power asymmetry is a controlling force in cinema and constructed for the pleasure of the male viewer, which is deeply rooted in patriarchal ideologies and discourses.”However, the scenes in the Sex and The City depict arousal of even heterosexual women who feel aroused by looking at curvaceous women. The conflict of this theory in the show is in the narrations of the main characters.At the opening scene, Carrie is shown to be sexy and also admirable by the women. Evidence suggests that even women enjoy the visual depiction of sexy women. Women admire a beautiful woman and Darren Star successfully empowers Carrie to appeal to women in a fashion sense by concentrating on the upper part of her body only. Patriarchal ideologies attest to the sexualization of a woman’s features especially the lower part of the body, but the introduction scene of the show creates a bisexual appeal. The female viewer not only identifies with Carrie but she produces a spectrum of admiration that may be sexual for the heterosexual woman. In a cultural context, the post-feminist characteristic of the homogeny power of the female gender is exclusive in the Sex and The City using the character of Carrie and her friends. The ideology of a social dominance created by social theorists and safeguarded by mass media is central to the show. The successful women not only possess power over male characters by their affluence but also by their sexuality. The women not only maintain the social dominance but hold an economic dominance by the wealth they possess. The cultural phenomena are enhanced by the women’s individual choice of material possessions and sexual choices. The drama intertwines

these aspects of women homogenous dominance in an impressive manner throughout the show. The woman in SATC mas-meditates her every move independently is successful and happy. The film contends the Homogenic masculinity theory by presenting post-feminism homogeny and using the film as an instrument of mass-media to assert this ideology is itself. Samantha shows an open view on sexuality with confidence only shared by men. She openly talks about her views on sex and is not intimidated by the descriptive term of being promiscuous. The cultural understanding of the Liberal woman is brought out in the show, and at some, each of the three post-feministic theories intersects in the actions of the four characters in varying degrees. Carrie Bradshaw, Charlotte York, Miranda Hobbes and Samantha Jones are in charge of their lives outplaying male characters in the show. In fact, they control the men significantly in their lives.The three theories greatly differ in approach but collectively develop a holistic image of a culturally liberated woman from patriarchal views of the woman as an inferior subject to men. In a society where educated women are stigmatized and cannot find happiness in older age, and her voice is considered inferior, Bradshaw is a columnist in a local Newspaper. Her voice in the paper is highly influential in the city, and her content is her independent of the male bosses in the company. The Feminist Theory of gender equality connects with the Male Gaze theory in the Bradshaw’s taste of fashion. As club staple, her sense of style is not only wild but uniquely acknowledged by fellow members of the New York glitterati. Men gaze at her unusual choice of attire in the club. Although critics disapprove the notion that her sense of fashion is mainly targeted to appeal to male members, she is portrayed to make her choice of vintage outfits based on her taste and love. The romance of her life paints the picture of a woman of equal status to her male counterparts but also a woman’s whose choices are influenced by her appeal. In a way, she leaves men and females amazed by her bold choice of attire that is not limited to the professional

dress code that society imposes on women. Moreover, she freely shops for her designer outfits that she matches with her evolving sense of control of the choices she makes independent of expectations of her society which she believes is male control. The liberal aspects of life choices and independent social life decisions is evidence of a connection of the theories that constitute a liberal female in total control of her womanhood. Homogeny theory of masculinity is put in perspective during her resolution to turn switch ownership status of her rental apartment to individual ownership. She takes a mortgage to cover her payment plan of the house. The scene is significance in that it shows that denial of women to own property is mass-media created. Educated women are equally empowered to make right decisions and are not inherently consumerist. The plot line intentionally weaves the scene to show that a woman is a capacity to make financially viable decisions just like their male counterparts. Financial management is an attribute shared by the woman in the society of the post-feminism cultural society. The ideology that only men are in a capacity to acquire property is an illusion created by man to remain dominant over women. Also, the women financially support each other as in the case when Charlotte loans Bradshaw some money to offset her mortgage. Charlotte buys an engagement ring for Trey as opposed to conventionally accepted notions. Charlotte is conservative of sexual relations, and this shows that women can value chastity without strict control by men in their lives. Predominantly women are in an equal capacity like their men to control their socioeconomic status in society with merely being under the control of men and it is an issue of suppression that puts them in the influence of men. The Feminist, Male Gaze, and Homogeny Theory share various similarities as they are equally difference. However, of importance is that they all advance a post-feminist agenda that advocates for a woman’s equal position in society. Precisely, they are concepts that shift the Chauvinistic

culture imposed on the females gender. They act as ideological approaches to distort conservatively held beliefs in regards to a woman’s ability to make decisions regarding her life. Sexuality and modernism in the show Sex and The City supplement the post-feminist ideas. For a woman to survive in the new era of modern society, several culturally held ideologies have to change to accommodate the woman without interfering with her freedoms. Further, the three theories address the same issue, gender bias towards women in contemporary society. Their sole purpose is to create a platform for the emancipation of the woman by bringing into perspective how these radical elements of womanhood have a place in contemporary American society. In a theoretical sense, the three theories are the products of the second wave of feminism in the same historical period developed by thinkers united by the same social issue and a common goal. However, the three theories are different in their approaches. They focus on various specific aspects in the life of a woman in her relationship with their male counterparts. While Feminist Theory focuses on male dominance about status, wealth, and ownership of property, The Male Gaze theory explores the sexual control of a woman’s physical body in a sexual sense. The theory is concentrated more on the sexual relationship that culturally exists between the two genders and to what degree one has over the other. It explicitly discusses the visual representation of the woman character in media creations. On the other Hand, Homogeny Theory individually approaches male Chauvinism in regards to the life of a woman. It deals with notions of natural and genetic superiority that culture has placed on men. Women are seen second to men, and their life is somewhat bound to those of men. Additionally, the theory argues for superior physical and mental abilities of men. As shown in the discussion above post-feminism era diffused its ideologies to the media industry; as a result, the position of women in society has radically shifted. At the center of this

transformation are the Sex and The City TV Show using the depictions of four main Women Characters. The Post-Feminism theories highly influence they live both in the mainstream media and in scholarly articles. Their individual choices in life and actions throughout the show dramatize these concepts in a fictitious city setting which is very similar to the real town of any modern city not only in the United States but across the globe. The characters were not just communicating the cultural changes surrounding the contemporary woman but also showing to what extent the second wave of feminism has helped create a liberal woman of the 21st century. The Liberal woman is not a just a sexually free being but also is competitive and socially outgoing in her unique way. She can fight for her position in society and also equally compete for social status in society....