Gender Speech Community

Stage Beauty is a movie that covers the time when women were not allowed on stage, therefore female roles were portrayed by male actors. The movie delivers a lucid look into what is described as male and female communication style. The characters provided great examples of how feminine and masculine is conveyed through some of the different aspects of nonverbal communication – kinesics, haptics, artifacts, proxemics, and paralanguage.

Kinesics refers to body movements, positions, and facial expressions (Wood 140). Men are observed to use more forceful gestures then women (Wood 137). This was exemplified when Kynaston took on a male role; he, as Othello, made aggressive advances towards Maria on stage. However, Kynaston, in the role of Desdemona, used fluid and graceful hand movements to highlight his femininity. In addition, Women smile more and engage in eye contact more often than men (Wood 136). Kynaston used facial expression, like narrowing of the lips, almost coyly, when he spoke in order to come off as feminine. In a lesser exaggerated gestures and facial expressions, the real women in the movie also showed kinesics femaleness, for example, when the female fans approached Kynaston smilingly and excitedly with a hint of shyness.

Haptics refers to touching as a form of communication (Wood 142). In the movie we witnessed Nell Gywnn, King Charles II’s mistress, touched and caressed the king in order to demonstrate her closeness towards him. Through this intimacy, Nell was able to gain her wishes from the King. Females are described to use touch as well as initiate holding hands more so than men (Wood 136). Men use touch as well, but it is to assert an aggressive power and control (Wood 143). In t...

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...n. Nell screamed and called Kynaston a “bitch!” Lastly, when Kynaston first tried to act a male role, as much as he tried suppressed his femininity, his gestures were still awkwardly feminine and overtly expressive.

In examining masculine and feminine communication, we see general distinction between male and female. Body movements, space, and artifacts are used differently by both genders. While men use greater space, lesser physical gestures, and more functional clothing, women on the other hand tends to fall to do the opposite. However, these distinctions are not always absolute. There are times that men and women step outside of gender boundaries and exhibit the gender-expectations of the opposite sex.

Works Cited

Wood, Julia T. "Chapter 4 and 5." Interpersonal Communication: Everyday Encounters. 5th ed. Australia: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2007. Print.