Stereotypes Of Costuming In Film

1626 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Sexism in films

Since its inception as a medium, costuming in film has always had a soft spot for the elaborate and ostentatious. In particular, the idea of putting the lead actress in a selection of painstakingly crafted dresses is a near-omnipresent trope. Calling fancy costuming in film a cliche would be akin to calling wide shots a cliche. Often associated together via the elaborate panache of the red carpet, designer fashion and movie stars have arguably had an even more fruitful partnership on the silver screen. However, a great deal of variation exists within this large sphere of costuming, particularly when it comes to what those immaculate dresses tell us about the woman wearing them. Beyond the obvious surface-level connotations of wealth and style, …show more content…

While all three archetypes and the characters that best portrayed them share iconic dresswork and glamour to spare, how that glitz is used can vary. Comparing Hepburn’s innocent free spirit to Kelly’s refined debutante or to Stone’s narcissistic hustler reveals a world of difference in how filmmakers use fashion to code certain aspects of female behavior. Whether it represent the highest virtues or the basest vices, high-end fashion has always made for an eye-catching method of giving moral texture to a character and the world they …show more content…

He wants what he can spy at a distance, not what he can hold in his arms,” largely because of his “fear of impotence” brought on by Lisa’s mere presence. Hitchcock loved to use his mysterious blondes not as eye candy but as crucibles for his tortured male protagonists to be splaid upon, laying all their failings and insecurities bare for the audience to

Show More
Related

  • Clara Bow: The Outrageous Flapper And Actress

    1063 Words  | 3 Pages

    When many people think of an “It Girl” they think of someone as luxurious, Clara Bow was one of the very first “It Girl” of the 1920’s, yet she was not luxurious at the start. Before, Clara Bow was considered a tomboy with her ragged and dirty clothes, she would always play in the streets with boys, no girls were willing to play around with her. Later, she entered into a contest The Fame and Fortune, winning the contest; she was brought into Hollywood by B.P Schulberg. During her acting career she also developed into a flapper; flappers were 1920’s women who dressed up in short dresses wore makeup and had short hair; they also smoked and drank at night clubs. Her career had to come to an end after

    Read More

  • Hitchcock’s Work at an Auteur in his Movie, Vertigo

    446 Words  | 1 Pages

    Hitchcock has a way of throwing clues in the face of the spectator, yet still allows some room for the spectator to find their own less obvious details. In the same museum scene, Hitchcock shows the viewer exactly what he wants them to see. In a sense, Hitchcock can be very manipulative with the camera. The audience sees the picture containing the women with a curl in her hair holding flowers, and then the direct connection is made by the camera, by showing the curl in Madeline’s hair, and the flowers sitting next to her. The spectator is led to believe that they have solved the mystery and she is truly possessed by the women in the picture. However, Hitchcock does this on purpose to lead the audience away from the truth that she is only acting. It is for these reasons that Hitchcock’s work at an auteur adds a level of depth and intrigue.

    Read More

  • Chanel's Treatment Of Women In The Great Gatsby

    1750 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the beginning of the 1920s, a feeling of liberation was felt among women because of the new opportunities given to them through the women's suffrage movement. One of the women who grasp this opportunity was Gabrielle “Coco” Bonheur Chanel. Chanel used this time of liberation to uplift the women dominancy in the industrial aspect of America. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, “The Great Gatsby”, Fitzgerald demonstrates how the fashion world affected social class and the American Dream. Becoming a cultural and fashion icon, Chanel made advancements and created a legacy as a woman in the fashion.

    Read More

  • Fashion And Clothing In The Elizabethan Era

    663 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of the most defining things of a generation or time period is the fashion, and the most prominent example of this is the Elizabethan era. When the majority of people are reminded of the Elizabethan Era, they think of “poofy” dresses, and/or a ruff. This among many other things, is helping the Elizabethan Era stay alive. However, fashion is an umbrella term and contains many uses such as the color used, hats and hairstyles, gowns, and shoes. For some people, the first thing they notice about someone is what they are wearing.

    Read More

  • Stereotypes In Nollywood Films

    665 Words  | 2 Pages

    Examples of stereotypes being reinforced through Nollywood films is by examining how Nollywood portrays different class structures in their films. A majority of Nollywood films portray the main characters as having luxurious cars and lifestyles that are unattainable to the majority of Nigerians within the upper class. The upper classes are portrayed to be westernized and modernized in a manner that discredits the actual traditions this class holds. In contrast, when lower classes are portrayed throughout Nollywood, their lifestyles are romanticized, simplified and they are portrayed as ‘unintelligent ’ individuals with ‘backward’ traditions. Where the nigerian class system is complex, these films provide a simplified and unrealistic illustration

    Read More

  • Eileen Fisher Identity

    635 Words  | 2 Pages

    Meryl Streep is a successful woman that doesn’t follow the traditional celebrity fashion rules, she wears comfortable clothes that go with her personal style. She doesn’t follow the beauty standards created by the mass media standards but she’s very comfortable with her image and style. She’s outspoken and socially responsible, she usually fights for women’s causes. BRAND ASSOCIATIONS Eileen Fisher’s clothes were stylish, simple and comfortable.

    Read More

  • The Shirt Play Analysis

    690 Words  | 2 Pages

    The main job of costumes in a play is to enhance the character, it provides an emotional presence from the character being portrayed as well as a physical connection to the characters surrounds, including, time period, setting and situations. Costume design can prove to be a very important aspect of the film design; nevertheless, audiences often undervalue the significance behind costume design. Performing artist's costumes and props at first don't seem to have any huge importance; be that as it may, they are regularly used to demonstrate the movies views on a social issue. For instance, Shelley Niro of The Shirt tries to consolidate importance into the characters costumes with an end goal to reveal insight into a social issue, for this situation

    Read More

  • Good And Evil In Frenzy Movie

    801 Words  | 2 Pages

    103). Hitchcock needed a leading lady who would attract men and whom women could identify with. “The Hitchcock blonde is known for her smoldering sexuality, a quality fully revealed in private. She is also supremely feminine, well dressed, impeccably groomed, and always in full make-up” (Friddel, 2015, p. 103). Hitchcock often worked with bombshell blondes like Grace Kelly Ingrid Bergman, and Tippi Hedren who all shared similar characteristics.

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby Music Analysis

    596 Words  | 2 Pages

    Of course, in the past many audiences came to films to take a glimpse of the latest fashion trends. To produce a film, directors must have actors/actresses to fill the roles for the intended

    Read More

  • Stereotypes In Film

    1151 Words  | 3 Pages

    Cinema has a place in many people’s hearts. There’s some unique feeling about going to the movies with buttery popcorn and watching your favorite actors put their heart and soul into their work. However, cinema has a place in our society beyond just pretty faces and good cinematography; it can drastically tell us a lot about us, and the society we live in. It can reveal truths about ourselves that we are often too uncomfortable or too unaware of to recognize.

    Read More

  • Oppression Of The Differences Between Luxury And Social Class

    2141 Words  | 5 Pages

    The concept of luxury has played a very important role throughout history to differentiate between the social class and is even prevalent now in the present. Historically, luxury has only been the privilege of the ruling and the aristocratic class-world of old money and royalty (Wong and Ahuvia,1998) Luxury is particularly slippery to define. A strong element of human involvement, very limited supply and the recognition of value by others are key components‖ (Cornell 2002, p. 47). The word luxury ―defines beauty; it is art applied to functional items.

    Read More

  • Power Distance In American Culture

    783 Words  | 2 Pages

    For example, an association of luxury car ownership with success in personal and professional life marks one as a unique individual, different to those around them, playing to the ego of a person who is desirous of more marketed individuality and uniqueness which equates to increased power, furthering the differentiation between them and others around

    Read More

  • Stereotypes In Hollywood Film

    1000 Words  | 2 Pages

    While watching movies, have you ever noticed that the villains in almost every single Hollywood film are of Middle Eastern or European descent? In a reoccurring theme of Hollywood, the villains in these films are almost always foreigners or people of color. This is a stereotype. On the other side of the spectrum, we often see that the heroes of these films are most often than not white males. This is another stereotype. Within the last few years, we’ve seen actors such as Will Smith, Morgan Freeman, and Zoe Saldana take the lead roles, so it can’t be said that there are no non-white heroes, but there certainly isn’t many. Hollywood action movies, moreover than other genres, are typically loaded with an abundance of stereotypes. The way these movies are composed and structured can tell us a great deal about the views held within the American psyche and who holds the social power. The harsh reality is that the media ultimately sets the tone for societal standards, moralities, and images of our culture. Many consumers of media have never encountered some of the minorities or people of color shown on screen, so they subsequently depend on the media and wholeheartedly believe that the degrading stereotypes represented on the big screen are based on fact and not fiction. Mary Beltran said it best when she stated in her “Fast and Bilingual: Fast & Furious and the Latinization of Racelessness” article, “ultimately, Fast & Furious mobilizes notions of race in contradictory ways. It reinforces Hollywood traditions of white centrism, reinforcing notions of white male master while also dramatizing the figurative borders crossed daily by culturally competent global youth – both Latino and non-Latino” (77). This paper will specifically look...

    Read More

  • Fashion History

    1358 Words  | 3 Pages

    middle of paper ... ... It also analyzed the influences of modern dresses. As Palmer and Clark (2005) mentioned earlier, both decades are the classic era in fashion history.

    Read More

  • The Influence Of Fashion In Film And Film

    1687 Words  | 4 Pages

    Fashion and film are art forms that have coexisted for decades, and although they are different, they also possess similar qualities. Pamela Church Gibson wrote in her book Film and Celebrity Culture that “film had a greater influence on fashion than any other form of visual culture” (Gibson 55). Fashion is an important part of film as it aids directors and writers in bringing characters and their personalities to life. Simultaneously, fashion has also benefited from films, as films are a popular source of inspiration for designers, who can be inspired by anything from storylines to characters. In an article, titled Film and Fashion: Just Friends, for the New York Times, Ruth La Ferla wrote that “wittingly or not, those viewers take in colors, subtle tactile impressions or an overall atmosphere that can linger in the mind for years, part of a vast store of images that may surface at any time” (La Ferla).

    Read More

More about Stereotypes Of Costuming In Film

Open Document