Lesson 2 - Representation and Gender

Lesson 2 - Representation and Gender

• 1.
  Deconstruct the mediationof the representation of Halle Berry on each magazine cover •What selections did the producer make for her outfit, body language, colours, camera angle? •What is being focused on? •What is the motive of the producer? Mediation: The process of constructing and editing material in accordance with the motivations of the producer.
• 2.
  Representation Lesson 2: Representationand Gender
• 3.
  Learning Questions • Howis gender represented in the media? • What is Lisbeth Van Zoonen’s theory? • What is objectification and patriarchy?
• 4.
  Watch the trailer here
• 6.
  Introduction to LauraMulvey and The ‘Male Gaze’ Theory Mulvey, a feminist, argues that as a result of being consistently framed within the perspective of men, women also find themselves, at times, utilising the male gaze. Keywords/Terms • Male Gaze • Patriarchal • Passive • Voyeurism Can you think of examples of the male gaze in any media text or platform. “In a world ordered by sexual imbalance, pleasure in looking has been split between active (male) and passive (female). The determining male gaze projects phantasy on to the female figure which is styled accordingly. In their traditional…role women are simultaneously looked at and displayed, with their appearance coded for strong visual and erotic impact…” Published in 1975
• 7.
  Who is thetarget audience of the Heat advert? How have women been represented? How might audiences respond to this? Article about the banned advert
• 8.
  Laura Mulvey’s MaleGaze Theory • Though the presence of a woman in mainstream film is vital, she is only decorative, an ornament who is not central to the narrative. Her character is relegated to the incidental. • Often a female character has no real importance herself, it is how she makes the male feel or act that gives her relevance. • The female therefore only exists in relation to the male. • She is there only as a foil to the dominant male characters.
• 9.
  Laura Mulvey’s MaleGaze Theory • Patriarchal society = Men dictate the rules • Mulvey argued we live in a patriarchal society in which men set the majority of the rules, constructing social roles, conventions and norms to reflect their interests, thereby ensuring the reproduction of male dominance over women. • The concern is that a passive audience may be influenced by this representation of reality and seek to copy, reproducing these images and assumptions in reality.
• 10.
  Lisbet Van Zoonen MediaStudies: Key Theory Media Representations
• 11.
  Lisbet Van Zoonen •Genderis constructed through media language and these constructions reflect cultural and historical contexts. •The ‘objectification ‘ of the female body is a key construct of western culture. •The visual and narrative codes used to represent the male body differ, reflecting patriarchal society
• 12.
  Representation Remember, the keypoints to consider in terms of representation • What is being represented? • How has it been constructed(Denotation)? • How could audiences interpret the representation (Connotation)? • Who is responsible for the representation? You will need to consider the above when discussing representation.
• 13.
  The BECHDEL TEST •Further issues with current media representations of women are included below: • http://www.criticalmediaproject.org/cml/me dia/the-bechdel-test-for-women-in-the- media/
• 14.
  Applying Lizbet VanZoonen’s theory Is this an example of the the objectification of the female body? Does this text reflect a patriarchal society? Plenary: Write a short response to these questions using media language from the advert to support your view point Government Campaign: This Girl Can