Masculinity vs its contrary, femininity refers to the dispersal of roles amongst genders, which is an essential issue for any society. Studies have revealed that feminine values differ less among societies than masculine values. Masculine values from one country to the next contain an element of assertive and competitive values between the two. The assertive pole can be called
‘masculine' and the softer, more caring pole ‘feminine'. During the Victorian era, society was modeled after patriarchy. Women were thought to be homebound and overall supervisor of the children and or servants. The home was a pyramid of sorts, with the man or father atop.
Feminine and masculine ideals were taken from the upper echelon of society. Gentlemanly roles such as a soldier, priest or lawyer we held in high regard along with respect. What truly defined a masculine gentleman during the Victorian era? Is it birth right, the simple fact or being born a man or a title that is earned over time? Equally masculine and feminine characters should be portrayed as strong, wise as well as clever.
The detectives in Arthur Conan Doyle's tales are usually male and Conan Doyle seems to cast women in routine characters which portray them as victims and powerless. In The Speckled
Band we see Arthur Conan Doyle writing in his typical masculine style. Arthur Conan Doyle interprets the women in The Speckled Band females as the stereotypical type of woman that feels, acts and thinks feminine; the seemingly helpless damsel in distress. Helen Stoner’s character fit the mold of exactly that. Seemingly helpless, clueless and not in possession of a clue. Her seeking Sherlock Holmes feeds into the stereotype of the homebound woman looking
to the gentleman...
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...e similar stereotypical gender behaviors, and that neither can obtain proper character until they are collected and demonstrating their assigned traits.
In Fight Club, though these notions of gendered space does effectively concur with
Victorian methods of masculine and also feminine propriety, additionally it contrasts sharply with more essential gender relations in the film. Many of Marla Singers female characters exist as an contrast to Victorian ideals of fair angelic femininity and womanhood, while the male personages of the film take on the female role in the course of the film. John Stuart Mills does not define masculinity and femininity, yet focuses on how women came to be subjected initially.
Of the three works, Helen Stoner and how she interacts with the male counterparts fits the criteria for masculinity and how femininity conforms to have it’s needs met.
family was they had three-rooms which were placed on a hill facing the "Big House". The
Gender roles are a common if outdated, categorization of the ‘right’ ideas of what men and women are to do and be. Often unchanged throughout the decades and appearing to just develop into more complex entities as the year’s pass. These roles encompass ideas of day-to-day life, personal interactions, and often job prospects as well. Although vilified and greatly disliked by many, to the point people go against them, these roles are often portrayed in films, both old and new. The film we have just watched, His Girl Friday, has some instances of these roles and showcases the main character, Hildy, breaking a few of these gender roles.
We come to scene which is most important when talking about dependency on male counterparts. Evey is caught in the act of prostitution by fingermens who then decide to do whatever they want with her and even kill her but that’s when V a character from V for Vendetta comes to rescue Evey as a damsel in distress (Moore and Lloyd 6). This shows how Evey’s character is defenseless and couldn’t take on a masculine role and is instead waiting for someone in a masculine role to come and save her. By showing that scene Moore and Lloyd have separated male from a female according to their bodies and their representation of masculine and feminine. In an article about gender stereotyping and under-representation of female character in children’s picture
Laura Mulvey claims that the camera is almost always masculine and that all women in these films are objectified and punished if they don’t please the male characters by obeying gender roles. Carol Clover, however, believes that there is more to Mulvey’s claim. Clover argues that the boys of the film also die, insinuating that punishment does not just fall on the women. She also argues that the camerawork and the film itself are about gender fluidity; both boys and girls can identify with any character of the film, be it the killer, a boy, or the final girl. Sexual ambiguity, especially in regards to the first-person camera work, are the focus of the films. To some extent, I believe both women’s claims. However, I believe there is more truth in Clover’s argument due to the fact that retributions are inflicted upon all characters regardless of gender. Yet, it does seem that women in horror films have a special place in terms of their sexuality and roles for the film. The women have ambiguous gender rules as evident by the final girl. Her act of fighting is considered a masculine activity. These masculine activities performed by females seem to be more acceptable in these films than if a male was actively portraying something feminine, such as cowering in fear. This gives validity to the argument that being masculine or
1) Frith, Wendy, "Sex, smallpox and seraglios: a monument to Lady Mary Wortley Montagu," Femininity and Masculinity in the Eighteenth-Century Art and Culture ed. Gill Perry and Michael Rossington, (Manchester University Press, 1994), 99-122.
The idea and characteristics of gender, relate to the specific differences men and women deliver to society and the unique qualities and roles each demonstrate. The term ‘Femininity’ refers to the range of aspects and womanly characteristics the female represents. The foundation of femininity creates and brings forth many historical and contemporary issues. According to Mary Wollstonecraft in ‘A Vindication of the Rights of Woman’, women’s femininity is considered a flaw of nature. Throughout the paper, history indicates how women are viewed and looked upon in a male dominated world which hinders a woman’s potential, her character, her mind, her dreams, her femininity. The paper particularly stresses the idea of power, the power of man. The historical argument leans towards man’s desire to treat women as inferior to them.
Cox, J. R. (1988). Arthur Conan Doyle. In B. Benstock & T. F. Staley (Eds.), Dictionary of Literary Biography: Vol. Vol. 70. British Mystery Writers, 1860-1919. Detroit: Gale Research. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CH1200002740&v=2.1&u=miamidade&it=r&p=LitRC&sw=w&asid=195f77572a41d90d4e0074cb8695c7ea
The most important events of this film all revolve around the female characters. While there are some male charac...
During the Victorian Era, society had idealized expectations that all members of their culture were supposedly striving to accomplish. These conditions were partially a result of the development of middle class practices during the “industrial revolution… [which moved] men outside the home… [into] the harsh business and industrial world, [while] women were left in the relatively unvarying and sheltered environments of their homes” (Brannon 161). This division of genders created the ‘Doctrine of Two Spheres’ where men were active in the public Sphere of Influence, and women were limited to the domestic private Sphere of Influence. Both genders endured considerable pressure to conform to the idealized status of becoming either a masculine ‘English Gentleman’ or a feminine ‘True Woman’. The characteristics required women to be “passive, dependent, pure, refined, and delicate; [while] men were active, independent, coarse …strong [and intelligent]” (Brannon 162). Many children's novels utilized these gendere...
characters created to display a woman’s search for a way out of the bonds of her society.
These movies allowed female characters to embody all the contradictions that could make them a woman. They were portrayed as the “femme fatale” and also “mother,” the “seductress” and at the same time the “saint,” (Newsom, 2011). Female characters were multi-faceted during this time and had much more complexity and interesting qualities than in the movies we watch today. Today, only 16% of protagonists in movies are female, and the portrayal of these women is one of sexualization and dependence rather than complexity (Newsom, 2011).
Led by Laura Mulvey, feminist film critics have discussed the difficulty presented to female spectators by the controlling male gaze and narrative generally found in mainstream film, creating for female spectators a position that forces them into limited choices: "bisexual" identification with active male characters; identification with the passive, often victimized, female characters; or on occasion, identification with a "masculinized" active female character, who is generally punished for her unhealthy behavior. Before discussing recent improvements, it is important to note that a group of Classic Hollywood films regularly offered female spectators positive, female characters who were active in controlling narrative, gazing and desiring: the screwball comedy.
The ways the characters portrayed what is supposedly masculine and feminine was when the author wrote about the type of clothes the grandma is wearing. She is wearing
...s often the stubborn majority, as it is difficult to simply change a characteristic so widely embedded in the framework of cinema. Therefore, it is not my objective to say that all movies must pass the radical Bechdel test or include the presence of a strong, independent female character; rather, we as a society must recognize that we are inherently biased in the topic of gender and must make an effort to exhibit a more conscientious and sympathetic portrayal of women in cinematic media. The simplest resolution can begin with clothing, where an audience’s viewing is not diverted by the lack of clothing from either male or female characters. The task of reinventing cinema is to reinvent a century of subconscious thinking, and only by taking one step at a time can both men and women watch a movie where all characters, both male and female, can be represented equally.
Throughout history men and women have been put into the rigidly defined roles of feminism and masculism. This box that society has created has push back the true people and presented us with the societal image of what men and women should be. This is gender stereotyping. Through these stereotypes a feminist movement and a masculine movement have arisen to try to break those stereotypes.