Essay Plan

How has the stereotypical representation of women changed and developed since the past, giving rise to a new and more acceptable image of a protogonsit? Paying particular reference to Ugly Betty

The question in my essay focuses on the representation of women within the media and how their image has changed and developed dramatically. To find these significant changes i will watch a number of different movies and television programmes varifying from the different era's in time to pick out the major differences between then and comtemporary society. My main focus is on the television series Ugly Betty as this is a prime example of change within society, it also focuses on contemporary images of characters. Below i have constructed a detailed essay plan that will later on help me structure my final version of the essay. This structure will allow me to form an arguement for and against my hypothesis, and come to some sort of conclusion about this whole debate.

Introduction:

• In the introduction im am going to rewrite out the question that is being asked and then state the hypothesis to show clearly to the reader what i assume the findings will be.
• I will then briefly touch upon the arguement for and against not revealing the finished conclusion to the readers.
• I will name a few theorists that look at the representation of women and look at the significant changes and the developement of their characrteristics. I'll name only the theorists that relate to my study, stating their name and not what they found
• Mulvey, Gunter, Tushmen are some theorists that i will use.
• I will also state the text that im paying particular reference to which in this case is Ugly Betty, i will give the background information so that i can later relate to this information if needed.
• Finally i will give a brief insight into the historical texts that i am going to use again breifly explaining how they link to my study.

[ Th, I, H, G ]

Paragraph 1:

• I have to make clear reference to SHEP, so that the reader can see the distinctions made clearly
• I am going to talk about the historical representation of women and discuss how it has developed before the second world war
• studies in the 1970's showed that Women were seen as "doormats", (things the men walked over).They were portrayed as obedient and very dependent on the man. Obeying and fufilling his every wish, without questioning whats right and whats wrong.
• According to marxism "women had to breed the next generation of workers and support them emotionally"
• The main image of a women in the media was that of a housewife, cooking and cleaning making sure the environment is suitable for her husband. Women had to take on this role while the husband went out to work to provide for the family as the "breadwiner".
• David Gauntlet: suggested that males were more dominant in the film industry, making it difficult for females to become successful
• Men were the more dominant characters and the decision makers, whereas women would be presented as the obedient housewife who is inferior and powerless
• I am going to use a different number of quotes and explain them in detail what they mean, making sure their is clear relation with my study.
• Historical Tv programmes that show the sterotypical image and character of a female

[ H, Th, R ]

Paragraph 2:

• Discuss points for my arguement, talk about how the characters in Ugly Betty show a change of representations of women. Paying particular reference to the main protogonist Betty Suarez.
• She is unattractive buh is still shown to be successful and popular amongst her peers
• Use MIGRAIN to fully analyse the programme, giving detailed description of each concept. I am going to use MIGRAIN to help me discuss the representtion of the character, by using each section and linking them together.

[ M, I, G, R, A, I, N, ]

Paragraph 3:

• Talk about contemporary society
• Discuss other films and TV programmes that show a similar character to Ugly Betty
• Legally blonde (2001) - Talk about the protogonist - how shes the "blonde bimbo" and is portrayed as 'dumb' and 'slow' but proves them wrong and becomes a successful lawyer. This is a change from the past as she is shown as independent and more superior and not the sterotypical character that of being a housewife and being dependent on a man.
• The devil wears parada (2006)-
• Heather (eastenders) - Shes unattractive, but has been given a leading role on this popular Tv series. She is not the stereotypical view of a women so it shows that society is changing and is now beggining to accept a newer image of a women.
• Women are no more independent financially and no longer need to wait on a man to help support her.
• waltons

Paragraph 4:

• Even though a wider range of women are becoming more acceptable, women with a perfect figure and appearance still remains important.
• Even though Ugly Betty is unattractive and is shown to be very successful, she undergoes and make over to make herself feel more comfortable and fit in within her workplace.
• Heather from Eastenders even though she has a leading role is still shown not to be taken seriosuly. She is unsuccessful with work, relationships, love and friends.
• Films and TV programmes in general still have the same similar image, that of a tall skinny girl, beautiful skin and perfect facial features.
• How it hasn't changed, Mulvey

[ Th, R, S, H ]

Conclusion:

• Restate my hypothesis
• Include my opinion, so the readers know how i feel about this topic
• Summarise my findings - to what extent it has changed and to what extent it hasn't
• Support the findings with the names of theorists

[ Th ]

Change Of Question

How have representations and the stereotypes of women changed and developed, paying particular attention to Ugly Betty?

Historical Text Task

The brady bunch movie (1995)

5 Female Directors

Gurinder Chadha:












Gurinder chadha is born 10 January 1960 and is a British film director of an Indian origin.In the 1980s she began making documentaries for the BBC, and in 1989 released "I'm British but..." for Channel 4 which followed the lives of young British asian's. In 1990, Chadha set up a production company namely, Umbi Films.

Films directed by her:
Bend it like Beckham (2002)
Angus, thongs and perfect snogging (2008)
This mistress of spice (2005)
Bride and prejudice (2004)

Jodie Foster:












Alicia Christian "Jodie" Foster was born November 19, 1962, is a two-time Academny award, BAFTA, and Golden globe-award winning American actress, director and producer.
Although Foster's first acting appearance was at three years old, her first significant role came in 1976 as an underage prostitue in Taxi driver, for which she received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She won an Oscar for Best Actress in 1988 for playing a rape survivor in The Accused. In 1991, she starred in The Silence of the Lambs as Clarice Starling, a gifted FBI trainee, assisting in a hunt for a serial killer. This performance received international acclaim and her second Oscar for Best Actress. Her films and roles have spanned a wide variety of genres, including thrillers, crime, romance, comedy, children's films and science fiction.

Films directed by her:
Tales from the dark side (1988)
Little man tate (1991)
Home for the holidays (1995)

Sarah Polley:












Sarah Polley was born January 8, 1979 is a Canadian actress, singer, Genie Award-winning film director and Academy Award-nominated screenwriter. She has starred in such films as The Sweet Hereafter, Guinevere, Go, The Weight of Water, My Life Without Me, and Terry Gilliam's The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. Her first cinematic appearance was at the age of four, as Molly in the Disney film One Magic Christmas. At age eight, she was cast in the title role in the television series Ramona, based on Beverly Cleary's books. The same year she also played one of the lead characters in Terry Gilliam's The Adventures of Baron Munchausen.

Films directed by her:
The best day of my life (1999)
Don't think twice (1999)
I shout love (2001)
All i want for christmas (2002)
Away from her (2006)

Julie Taymor:














Julie Taymor (born December 15, 1952) is an American director of theater, opera and film. Taymor's work has received many accolades from critics, and she has earned two Tony Awards out of four nominations, an Emmy Award, and an Academy Award nomination for her work. She is widely known as the first female to win the Tony Award for directing the musical The Lion King, for which she also received a Tony Award for her original costume designs.

Films directed by her:
Titus (1999)
Frida (2002)
Across the universe (2007)
The tempest (coming out 2009)

Arlene Sanford:

Arlene Sanford is an American film and television director. Sanford has directed for several present-day network television series and several motion picture and television movies which include A Very Brady Sequel, I'll Be Home for Christmas and Welcome Home. More recently, Sanford has directed episodes of ABC's popular soap drama, Desperate Housewives and also two episodes of Boston Legal.

Programmes directed by her:
Desperate houswives (2004)
Eve (2003)
Gilmore girls (2000)
Malcom in the middle (2000)
Dawsons creek (1998)

Why Are Women Directors Such A Rare Sight?

• Women are not seen as strong and able to carry this kind of jobs as their are a number of different physical and emotional stress for them in this type of job. Women are more likely to get pregnant and take more time of work as they'll need time to look after the new born children and to take time to recover from the stresses of pregnancy itself.

• This industry is seen as more male dominated so therefore makes it harder for women to get jobs in this workforce as they may feel intimidated and not up to the challenge, as men and portrayed to be better in this sort of area.

• Their are a lack of role models in this industry, so women have no-one to look up to and admire to be like them. As their is a lack in female directors they may feel that they are not as good and valued as the male directors in this industry. It may give women a sense of false consciousness and make them belive that they are not ready for this sort of challenge.

• Women are seen to be better writers than directors as women are known to be better at the more mental activities where their use and apply their knowledge and skills. Whereas men are portrayed to be more creative and more up for the challenege of directing and creating a whole film.

3 Ways The Amount of Female Director's Can Be Improved

• Making conjugal roles more integrated between men and women could mean that women no longer have to take longer time periods of work and focus and spend more time on the film or the programme that they are directing. By sharing chores such as domestic tasks and looking after the child would then make their jobs more easier for them to do so.

• Women should receive further training in this sort of professional field. They should be encouraged to take up this training when either to old to act or lack knowledge in this sort of field.

• By raising awareness at a younger age may influence young girls to take up a career in this sort of profession. By promoting film studies in an all girls school may influence students views and then take up further training in this specific feild.

Subervertisments...

Contemporary:

Teacher: "come on now nobody wants to be punished"
Student: "I'm just an ordinary schoolgirl, just wanting to learn"


women:"You promised me Hardy's bowler, not Laurel's bowler"

Historical:

Women: "I might not be tall, big and handsome, but i know that i can bring out the man in me"

Representations Of Women in adverts (Historical && Contemporary)

Historical:
Lysol


In this advert, women have been stereotypically represented. They have been portrayed as the primary carer of the household and have been shown to have an immense passion towards household chores. In this advert the male is shown to be the untidy one creating a mess for his wife, whereas the women is shown to be the stereotypical housewife who cleans after her husband and accepts the idea that this is her role and also feels happy to carry out these domestic chores, as this is reinforced by her faicial expressions. The clip shows a man in a stereotypical position, he is shown as being messy and not caring about no-one, behaving as if he is more dominant than the women. He then behaves in a childish way and leaves the women to clean the mess showing that he is an immature person. However It also shows that the mothers cleaning brings the family to gether as theyre playing on a clean surface without any germs.

Stove Top Stuffing (1970s)


This advert reinforces the idea of a patriarchal ideology, it shows the idea of male dominance within an familial institution. The female in the advert is shown to be cooking, a characteristic that is stereotypically associated with women, where as her husband is sitting down and relaxing giving orders to her telling her what to cook and when to do it. 'We're having pork chops to night...I have this great idea'. This shows that he 'wears the trousers' in this household as the wife happily agrees to do as she is told.

Shake n Vac


This advert shoow women to enjoy doing housework, they are shown to see it as a hobbie, as something that keeps them busy and entertains them when they need to be. It also makes the women believe that they have to accpet this type of character as if its their job to do the household chores. Instead of being upset to do it the female in this has made up her own song and is singing along while doing the vacuming in the house.

Contemporary:
Flash cleaner


This advert shows the rise in the 'new man', this type of man is different to any ordinary man. A definition of the 'new man' is a man who, rejecting sexist attitudes, aims to be caring and sensitive, and to take a substantial role in the domestic routine. As shown in this advert the male still reinforces the stereotypical image of a man, he is portrayed in a stereotypical fatherly role as he leaves the mess on the kitchen workforce and instead goes and watches football with his son. However during the half time of the footty match a new character of a man is shown. He is shown to be doing housework as he cleans the dishes and the kitchen, he also knows all the latest products to use as he explains the difference between the two products to his son. This image however is not well known as this is reinforced by the female in the video as she is shocked that the work has been done and replies with 'I thought you'd be watching the football', a sport that is normally associated with men, something that they wouldn't miss. This advert show women to be the breadwinners as they go out to earn and provide food for the family whereas the man stays at home and cleans and looks after his son.

Diet coke advert - Close friends


In this advert women have now changed positions with men and have brought about something known as the female gaze. Instead of men objectifying women, women are portrayed in this advert as objectifying men. This is reinforced by the way the women sort of 'spies' on the man through her mirror until he is visible to her to make her move. The walls tend to get tighter and closer so that the women in the advert can take full advantage of this moment. To an extent the women is however still being objectified as she is using her body to get around the man, she is shown to be flirting with him to get infront of him in the queue.

Givenchy - very irresistable


The female in this advert is portrayed in a more controlling and more dominant way. At the begining of this advert the women is shown to use her smell and charm to get a taxi before the man, usually the man tends to get his way, however it is portrayed differently in this advert. The females appearance is also similar to the image of how women are stereotyped to be, she is shown as pretty, tall and slim, this may then later put pressure on young girls and force them to look this ccertain way.

Films In The Media From 1950's To 1990's

1950's:
In this era men were portrayed as the protognist and were shown by the producers as characters that the male audience could identify and relate to. This then meant that the female audiences had to cross gender as there were no female roles for them to identify with. Women in this era are portrayed as vulnerable and dependent on the male characters within a film. They were portrayed as inferior to men and were given small roles compared to the larger roles that men had to play. Filrms such as High noon (1952) showed men as the protognists, it is a conventenal western film that portrays the message that off 'the wild wild west is no place for a women as she wouldnt be able to cope'. This is also supported by the movie 'The searchers' (1956) as John Wayne is portrayed as a the protogonist with little or no appearance of the female character. This also folllowed the conventional idea's of a western film.

High Noon (1952)


The Searchers (1956)


1960's
It is evident from researching films produce in the 1960's that films produced in this era had the lead role of a male being the protogonist of the film. Men still remained to be shown as assertive and more independent where as women were still shown as holding cameo roles and were still portrayed as the 'damsal in distress'. Women were portrayed as having the more maternal role and more integrating with the children. This role is portrayed in the movie 'The sound of music' (1965). 'Psycho' (1960) on the other hand shows women to be dependent on men and mainly the victim in these slasher genre.

The sound of music (1965)


Pyscho (1960)


1970's:
In this era the second wave of feminism came about, the roles of women began to change dramatically and females now began to stand of for their rights politically, they argued for the right of equality between men and women. Even though this was the case in reality the media chose to blur this significant change out of the media. Women were still portrayed as dependent and followed the Proprian thoery of films containing mythical creatures, where the women are portrayed as the helpless princess who waits to be rescued by the prince. Even though women still remained in this role, a new role began to raise that of women taking leading and/or more bigger roles. An example of this change is in the movies 'Alien' (1979), the female character is shown to be in power and control as she is the one who defeats all the aliens, this could be said that it is reinforcing the idea of power of women as mentioned before began to stand up for their rights, as this was the era that was associated with the second wave of feminism, which also portrayed females as powerful and getting their right of way. Another film that also portrays this idea is the movie 'Star Wars' (1977), Princess Leia even though she appears to be quite weak is also portrayed as more dominant and can be asked fight when needed to do so. She is not portrayed as the stereotypical image of women.

Alien(1979)


Star wars (1977)


1980's:
As attitudes of individuals within society began to develop and change, female roles within the media also began to change. Women began to take on leading roles as mens roles in the media also changed dramatically. There was a significent change in their roles, something that was different and not acceptable. There was a huge rise in the 'new man', the characteristics of this man include being more feminine and taking on more female roles within the movies. 'Three men and a baby' (1987) is a perfect example that supports the idea of a new man. In this film the men are shown to be looking after the baby as their wives go out to work for the family. The men are shown to be more in touch with thier feminine side as they have female characteristics such as singing to the baby, feeding the baby, changing the baby and showing love towards the baby. During the trialer it is also made clear that this is not normal behaviour for men as one of the lead female roles says 'I want to see how u fellah's handle this one'. Terminator (1984) on the other hand still portray men as superior to women. Even though the female character is shown to be able to hande herself the film still shows how they send a man back in time to help her survive society.

Three men and a baby (1987)


Terminator (1984)


1990's:
In this era theorist 'Flaudi' found that their was a backlash against females and the dramatic change in their roles. The film 'fatal attraction' shows the two different roles played by women that off either being the 'madonna', the housewife who looks after the family and children or the 'whore' who acts and behaves in an unacceptable way. This film is known to put pressure on men as they began to worry that all females may turn this way if they gain power and status. Even though the roles of women are changing at an alarming rate, females are still portrayed in favour to the men through the male gaze. This is made clear in the James Bond film 'Die another day' (2002) where Halle Berry is shown as coming out of the sea wearing promiscuious clothing with suductive body language. This appeals to the male audeince, even though it allows the females to identify with her to. This then reinforces the idea of men are superior than women within the media.

Fatal attraction


Die another day (2002)

10 Book Bibliography

• David Gauntlett: 'Media, gender and identity' Published by: Routledge; 2 edition (18 Mar 2008)

“She doesn’t lead the story, she doesn’t make the central decisions, she doesn’t repeatedly save her male colleague, and she’s not the star of the film.”

"Film... often and anxiously envision women stereotypically as 'good' mothers or 'bad' hysterical careerists"

This book is relevant to my study as it shows in depth analysis of women in the media in the contemporary society and the representation of women in the past. I can use this in my coursework as i can analyse the different representations throughout history. This will also allow me to score marks for discussing historical facts.

• Roger Martin: TV for A level media Published by: Hodder Arnold (25 Aug 2000)

"womens roles and characters changed dramastically during the world war II as men went out to fight"

"David Morley suggested that the way anyting is read will in part be determined by a complex interaction of at least these factors, which inlcude their age, sex, class, culture identity and their experiences."

This book is relevant to my study as the author of the book discusses the different characteristics of females in different types of programmes throughout the TV. It discuss's in detail the evolving of the roles and how they differ today. Its structured to give complete coverage of the topics focused around TV. It has detailed case studies and key critical concepts place media theory in the conext of real scenario's. It is also written by a senior examiner for a leading board, so this then benefits me as it will help me make sure my work is up to statndards.

• Richard Maltby: Popular Culture In The Twentieth Century Published by: Grange Books (1994)

This a relevant book to use as it discuss's the change in womens fashion from the past to contemporary society. It also disscusses issues such as to what extent the media and magazine pressure and influence young women within society to dress and look a certain way. This is relevant as it discusses the issue's that i am researching for my independent study. This links to Ugly Betty aswell as they also are a fashion magazine, which then represents the fashion world that is discussed in this book.

• Bonnie J.Dow: Prime-time Feminism: Television, Media Culture and the Women's Movement Since 1970 Published by: University of Pennsylvania Press (1 Jun 1996)

"Through a womens function as a mother, daughter and sister within her work family, she also becomes the career true women"

"A 24 hour general strike...of all women in america against the concrete conditions of their opressions"

This book allows me to add relevant studies and new feminists into my independent study, as i am looking at representation of women. It allows me link sociology into media and talk about how feminists feel about the representation of women. This book explores the dramatic change of feminism and how their views have changed over time since the first wave of feminism.

• Hollows Joanne: Feminism, femininity and popular culture published by: Manchester University Press (10 Feb 2000)

"Male character is presented as doing a favour for his wife by helping out in order to get in her good books"

"Confirming the nation that it is normal for women to be responsible for domestic labour."

This book again shows feminists ideas of the media, as its focused on the fashion side of things it makes it more relevant for me to use in my independent because as mentioned before Ugly Betty is based around the fashion industry. It focuses on how not following the fashion do's within society is more praised than actually following them. This relates directly to the main character as Betty makes no effort when attending work and is seen as the odd one out in the workforce.

• Laura Mulvey: Visual and Other Pleasures: Collected Writings (Language, discourse, society) Published by: Palgrave Macmillan (1 Mar 1989)

"The woman's lack of a phallus gives meaning to the man's possession of such, and the power and status it brings. This process is both displayed and reinforced in the cinema".

"The female body exists for the pleasure of the male gaze. However, since the female form has no phallus, it is identified with the `threat' of castration and the spectator resorts to either the sadistic, voyeuristic pleasure in the spectacle of the punishment of women, the bearers of guilt (who, being `castrated', must have done something to deserve it) or disavowal of the threat of castration through `fetishism'"

As Laura Mulvey studies the 'male gaze' this relates to my study nicely as i am discussing whether or not the media portray women in way that they are present for male satisfaction. This book argues and discusses all the factors to find out whether the media does or whether the media doesnt.

• Suasn Faludi: Backlash: the undeclared war against women (1991) published by: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group; Reprint edition (1 Sep 1992)

"Women are being 'reduced to mute and incidental characters or banished altogether' in action movies like preditor (1987), lethal weapon (1987) and days of thunder (1990)"

"There is a huge male backlash in society as they are against women in control and power"

Representations Of Gender Today

`During the 1990's and into the new century, gender roles on television became increasingly equal and non stereotyped.

Key studies:

1992-1993 season by Elasmar, Hasegawa and Brain.
1995- 1996 season by Lauzen and dozier.

Elasmer et al report the numbers of TV women who are employed and who care for children, but we can't really interpret these figures without knowing the parallel figures for male characters in these positions, which they failed to record.

1995-1996 study showed that men took 63% of the speaking roles, with women taking the other 37% of those speaking roles.

1992-1993 study found that a startling 18% of the major character were females, with two-thirds of those stars in domestic comedies.

1995-96 study, which examined a greater range and number of popular programmes showed that 43% of major characters were females.

1992-1993 study found that only 3% of women were represented as housewives as their main occupation, a massive decrease from the 1970's. An additional of 8% of women were shown as 'homemakers'.

Overall, the 1992-1993 study by Elasmer, Hasegawa and brain found that "the woman on prime time TV in the early 1990 as was young, single, independent, and free from family and work place pressure."

Gender in contemporary movies:

Maggie Humm's Feminism and film: "Film... often and anxiously envisions women stereotypically as good mother and bad hysterical careerists. in the past and today, every Hollywood women is some eles's other."

Michael Thomson: "By all means be feisty, but never forget to be feminine".

A study by psychologists, Muncer, Campbell, Jervis and Lewis (2001), talks about whether "girls power" leads to "girl violence".

This study was in respond to the growing concern of the Media term "Ladettes", these are women who are assertive with an aggressive attitude which are usually associated with "Lads".

There are a number of different smash hit films, where the male action hero works along side a more or less equally powerful female action heroes. A few examples of this have been mentioned belowed.

• Charlie's Angels (2000):

'Barrymore, Diaz and Liu represent redhead, blond and brunette respectively ( as David Poland has pointed out, T[its], A[ss] and [H]air.

This movie reinforces the idea of marxism, as charlie is seen as the leader and has workers below him.

David Gauntlet Handout: Representations Of Gender In The Past

This handout provided an overview of representations of gender in the media in the past and gave me a variety of information that could later be used in my independent study.

Women and men on tv

• In the 1950's, 1960's and 1970's, only 20 to 35 per cent of characters were female.
• By the mid 80's there were more women in protogonist roles, but there were still twice as many men.
• Miles (1975) found that there were early equal proportions of men and women in situation comedies, although the gender roles and humour could still be sexist. In action-adventure shows only 15 per cent of the leading roles were female.
• 1987 study found found female characters to be most common in comedy programmes (43 per cent). Davis 1990 found in action adventure shows the amount doubled to 29 per cent.
• McNeil (1975) concluded that women's movement was largely ignored by television, with married housewives being the main female role.
• 1970's studies found that men had the dominant characters and the decision makers on TV.
• Gunter (1995) found that men were also seen as active and victorious and Women were also seen as weak and victimised or merely "Token Females".

Gaye Tuchman- 'The symbolic Annihiliation of women by the mass media' (1978):

Televison procalims that women don't count for much. They are underepresented in television's fictional life- they are symbolically Annihiliated. Howver this is only the case within an American society.

Dyer- 'Boxed in - women and television' (1987):

Game shows didn't bother to change their "Degrading and trivialising" views of women, News programmes are accused of "Tokenism" or "Window Dressing", by including some women in key positions whilst retaining a male dominated culture.

Women and men in movies

• Roles of men and women were similiar in both television and movies.

Sharon Smith- 'Women and film' (early 1970's):

The role of women in a film almost always resolves around her physical attraction and the mating games she plays with the male characters. On the other hand males are not purely shown in relation to the female characters, but in several different roles.

E. Ann Kaplan:

In hollywood films, women are ultimately refused a voice and their desire is subjected to male desire.

Kathi Maio:

Hollywood's ideas about gender were "often reprehensible". She stated that "Women are not only given less screen time, being portrayed as "Powerless" and "Ineffectual".

How are women represented in mens lifestye mags?

1. Women are now shown to be more willing to dress more provocatively and it is portrayed as an acceptable representation of women. Women don't question this representation and just seem to accept it as they feel that it is normal.
2. All issues of Mens Magazine will talk about sex, Contain pornographic images of women and show these woemn in a sexual way.
3. The idea of the way they are represented can be seen from the front cover as they are dressed in skimpy outfits and their facial expressions and body language tend to tease the readers.
4. Women are only used on the covers if they are perfect, if this is not the case they won't be used. Men only like to see attractive women featured on the magazine and if this is not what it is the magazine won't be bought. So the editors of the magazine spend a lot of time on perfecting the images by air brushing, lighitng etc.
5.The term modern "Lads" is constructed and nurtured, this refers to men aged 15-25 years.This term shows men in today's society as modern and fashionable young men who are not afraid to admit their fascination and enjoyence of porn.

Migrain Analysis Of My Related Text

As my arguement is to find out to whether females in the media are Stereotypicaally represented and whether or not the media has tried to break this stereotype, i have decided to do a migrain analysis of the trailer of the film Legally blonde. In legally blonde the protogonist is seen by her fellow students as the typical stereotype of being a blonde women, but in this film Ella breaks the stereotype and graduates from law school. The analysis of the trailer is going to show to what extent the media reinforces the stereotype of being blonde and a women.


M: - The open scene shows Elle and Warner on a date, the first impression of Elle is stereotypical bimbo, as she is shown with no respect to others as she screams loudly when warner breaks up with her.
- The next scene shows elle sitting, crying on her bed and eating chocolates. This is a typical image of a girl, and she is portrayed as emotional and not independent. Her bedrom is shown to be girly because of the colour, accessories and the picture of her boyfriend in her room.
- 'going to harvard is the only way im going to get the love of my life back' this quote reinforces that girls are more dependent on men and would do anything to get that support in their life.
- 'shes come in Ricky Martins music video...welcome to Harvard'. This reinforces the fact that women in the media are their for the male gaze. They are portrayed as sex symbols and give the audience the idea that they can use their body to get them places.
I: Legally blonde is Metro Goldwyn Mayer production. This institution is an American media company ivolved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programmes. It was founded April 6th 1924 by Marcus Leow, who is the head of the organisation.
G: The genre of this film is a chick flick- comedy. A chick flick is a movie that is mainly targeted at young females. There are a number of conventions throughout the clip that show that this movie is aimed at girls. For example the protogonist of the film is dressed in pink, and the colour pink relates to young girls. The film is also a comedy as it has scenes of humour.
R: blonde females: The protogonist is stereotypically portrayed by her boyfriend as a 'blonde bimbo'. When he sees her at the law school he shockly says ' Elle are you here to see me' he doesn't even think of the thought that she may study there. This is a stereotypical view on blonde girls that of them being 'dumb' and 'uneducated'
men: they are represented differently in the movie. Men are normally shown to go for the pretty girls but during the trailer, warener is represented and portrayed to be a guy after a girl with 'brains', even though Elle is pretty (this normally wins a guys heart) he dumps her in search for a more educated girlfriend.
A: The main audience for this film is young teenage girls from the age group of 10-18. This can be seen through the typography and the colours used throughout the scenes. Elle is shown to dress really girly in pink clothes and skirts. It is also made clear that this film is aimed at girls through the issues spoken about, such as boyfriends, looks, love etc.
I: The film tries to portray a message that not all blonde girls are bimbo's and that most of them are educated and can be educated and earn a livng. The film breaks the stereotype and shows Elle to be successful.
N: The trailer is a linear montage of shots, as each scene links to the next as it begins to unfold the story. Movie trailers tend to create an eigma, sense of suspense, however this is not the case in the Legally Blonde trailer as most of the film is revealed to the audience. Watching the trailer gives away that this film breaks the sterotype and shows that girls are more independent and not all films and programmes show a stereotypical view of females

How Devil Wears Parada Links To Ugly Betty

The devil wears parada has a similar storyline to Ugly betty, in the film Andrea Sachs is a graduated journalist who gets a job with the fashion industry through Runway magazine. The only thing bringing her down is her appearance and this industry is quite critical about the way people look.

Similar to Ugly betty Andrea Sachs undergo's a makeover to change her simple and plain lifestyle for a more trendy and elegant one, in order to gain acceptance of her ruthless boss and colleagues. This also occurs in Ugly Betty as she also undergo's a makeover in order to fit in and be accepted by her work colleagues.

The Devil Wears Parada synopsis

As given away by the title the film focuses on the world of haute culture, and what an exciting insight it provides! The film is centered on a naïve young girl Andy (Anne Hathaway) who moves to New York with her boyfriend in order to make her break in the world of journalism. However it isn’t quite as easy as she originally thought to secure her dream job and so ends up working as an assistant to the editor (Meryl Streep) of one of the world’s biggest fashion magazines. Andy soon discovers that the job is far more than a simple 9-5 office job and quickly looses her faith in the somewhat false world that is fashion. The plot continues and shows how Andy changes due to the demands of the job and the subsequent pressure this puts on her own life.

How Laura Mulvey Relates To My Study

I am going to show both sides of this arguement, because it can be argued that Ugly Betty does follow Mulveys idea's and it also can be said it doesn't. It can be said that this programme challenges Mulveys theory as in this case a women is the protogonist, and she isn't stereotypically portrayed she is shown as unattractive with no sense of dress. It doesn't reflect the idea of patriarchy and challenges it to some extent.

Laura Mulvey - Male Gaze

Mulvey insists on the idea that film and cinematography are inadvertently structured upon the ideas and values of a patriarchy. Mulvey discusses several different types of spectatorship that occur while viewing a film. Viewing a film involves subconsciously engaging in the understanding of male and female roles.

The main idea that seems to bring these actions together is that "looking" is generally seen as an active male role while the passive role of being looked at is immediately adopted as a female characteristic. It is under the construction of patriarchy that Mulvey argues that women in film are tied to desire and that female characters hold an "appearance coded for strong visual and erotic impact".

The female actor is never meant to represent a character that directly effects the outcome of a plot or keep the story line going, but is inserted into the film as a way of supporting the male role and "bearing the burden of sexual objectification" that he cannot. Women are seen as sex symbols and are objectified for male pleasure. She has sed that Hollywood films are a narrative cinema and the narrative is usually told via a male perspective, hence the protagonist tends to be male.

Bibliography

• Freud and the Media : The Reception of Psychoanalysis in Viennese Medical Journals 1895-1938 - Publisher: Peter Lang AG
• http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/gaze/gaze09.html

Books, Books and Books

1) Moore,Barbara , Bensman, Marvin R. ,Dyker,Jim Van: Prime-Time Television: A Concise History, 2006, praeger publishers

2) The Portrayal of women on televison, Ingham H, 1995

3) Freud and the Media : The Reception of Psychoanalysis in Viennese Medical Journals 1895-1938

Freud - Another Theorist

After researching for a number of different theorists, i came across Freud. Freud argued that the men unconsciously see women castrated and this causes them to feel anxiety which is why fertishization objects are used in order to reduce anxiety. Freud refers to scopophilia as the pleasure involved in looking at other peoples bodies as (particularly erotic) objects.

Evaluation

Self Evaluation:

Attainment (2):
I belive that my attainment is good, as i have attended most of my lessons. I have only missed one lesson, which was due to a religious event.

Effort (3):
I think that i can put more effort into class discussions, as i don't feel very confident to get involved. I feel that I put enough effort in class work, but could improve the standard and effort of my hokework.

Punctuality (1):
I have always been on time for all my lessons and have never been late.

Submission and quality of work (3):
All my work has been submitted to my teacher, i feel that the quality of the work can be of a better standard as the work that is given to the teacher does not show my passion towards this subject and doesn't show my clear knowledge and understanding.

Ability to work independently (2):
I feel that i have the ability to work independently and can complete the hand in task, but i sometimes tend to ask for help or guidance and prefer to work better as a group.

Quality of work (3):
As previously mentioned, i believe that the quality of my work can be of a much bettter standard and quality as all work that is submitted to the teacher doesn't clearly show my knowledge as somethimes the work can be too short and lack important details.

Organisation of media folder (1):
My media folder is kept completley organised as all work is dated and put in order of the time it was handed out. All sheets have been placed in plastic wallets, to assure that no sheets are lost or fallen out. Each teacher has been given their own section so that work from the two different classes are not mixed up.

Oral contribution in class (3)).
I tend to lack confidence, which means my contribution in class is kept to a minimum. I participate in class discussions only when i'm asked to do so by a teacher or if a question is thrown at me.

Standard of module 5 blog (3):
Even though my blog has quite alot of information posted on it, I feel that it lacks quality as some of the work done on the blog is either quite short or doesn't make sense. I have posted up all work set, but i feel that i still need to do more work and post it all on my blog.

Santard of module 6 blog (2):
I feel more confident with this blog as all work is up to date and off a good standard. All my work is posted on my blog and it is done before the deadline.

www:
- I have attend all my lessons time
- I have a great knowledge and understanding of all discussions in class
- I have made detailed notes in lesson

Ebi:
- I participated more in class discussions
- The standard/quality of my work is improved
- Do more research for my blog

Is Ugly Betty A Good Role Model (Review)

Ugly Betty now in South Africa is an Ugly Role Model, Ugly Betty is meant to make women feel like there is more to life than being a physically attractive woman. And most men would likely agree, to avoid being labelled a sexist, or a misogynist, that this is true. Now let’s look the reality of the situation. There have been many studies to show that more attractive people get more opportunities in the workplace, in social circles, etc. So this negative role model does not in my opinion help any woman understand what the reality is in the world. In America where obesity is now almost at epidemic proportions there is anecdotal evidence that this show is giving fat women an excuse not to try and loose weight. Most people are plain lazy when it comes to working on their physical appearance yet these same people are likely to judge others on their first impressions and therefore on the their physical appearance. So what I am saying here is that we should rather point women to role models like Charlize Theron and Angelina Jolie. These women work exceptionally hard in their careers and still manage to look stunning whenever they make a public appearance or film.

http://ramonthomas.com/ugly-betty-now-in-south-africa-is-an-ugly-role-model/

This review that i found on a website shows that Ugly Betty IS not a role model. This review is more likely to pressure on women that they have to be pretty in order to suceed in life. This review blantly is against unattractive women being role models and emphasises the idea that people who are unattractive in society may aswell give up as there is no hope for them.

Change Of Title

Upon realising that my originally set question seemed too broad and confusing, I decided that i should set a question that is more direct and to the point. Therefore I have conceived the following question 'To what extent has the media manipulated women to look attractive and how has the representation of women changed in the media' paying particular reference to Ugly Betty. This question replaces my previous flummoxing question, that was ' To what extent does the media intimidate women to look glamerous and encourage a size zero to be rewarding? paying particular reference to Ugly Betty. By changing my question at this stage in time allows me to focus and pay more attention on the final question, instead of wasting time and not knowing what to write for my first question.

Keywords

Below are 10 keywords that will use throughout my independent study.

1. Archetype: This is an often repeated character type or representation which is instantly recognisable to an audience. I can use this in my independent study as Betty is portrayed as the stereotypical 'geek', so by her appearance and by the way she is dressed the audience can make a instant recognition that Betty will be the geek in the programme and assume that she will have geek like characteristics
2. Binary-opposition: Term which is associated with Levi-strauss, he argues that narratives are structured around oppositional elements in human culture e.g. good vs evil. In Ugly Betty there are a number of oppositions used, therefore using this theory will benefit me immensely.
3. Empathy: The ability to share the emotions or point of view of a group or individual. This term relates to my study as it allows the audience who watch programmes such as Ugly betty to be able to relate to her as if they are in her shoes. It also gives them a sense of escapism and reassurance.
4. Feminism: A political movement to advance the status of women by challenging values, social, constructions and socioeconomic practices which disadvantage women and favour men. I wiil be relating to a number of different feminists throughout my independent study. As well as breaking the stereotypical representation of women who are unattractive can't be successful, a number of media texts still objectify women.
5. Hyperdermic syringe theory: The theory argues that consumptions of media text is like the injection of a drug and that the audiences behaviour and opinions are therefore directly affected. At the start of Ugly Betty she is ignored and not taken seriously, this may inject idea's into the audience's mind who find themselve unattractive that being this way won't give you the oppurtunity to be successful. It may also benefit them because Betty breaks the stereotype and proves to be quite successful at the industry, so it may make them think that is she can do it so can we.
6. Kaplan (feminsit theorist): Representation of women are changing within the media. This finding is supported by a number of texts that i am using. In a number of programmes and films there is normally a stigma that is attached to an individual such as blondes are bimbo;s or if you havn't got the looks you can't be successful in life. But media texts such as Ugly Betty, Legally Blonde and Hollyoaks have broken the stereotype.
7. Male Gaze: This is a term that is normally associated with Laura mulvey (1975). She argued that the camera focusing on women's bodies is evidence that women are believed to be sex objects for the grattification of men. I can use this in my study as this is portarayed to be the case in the media texts that i am studying. For example even though Betty is portrayed to be unattractive, the producers of the programme have got an attractive substitute to appeal to the male audience.
8. Protogonist: The leading character or hero in a film/programme with whom the audience can identitfy with and from whose point of view the action is positioned. Often set in binary opposition against the antagonist. I will be using this term throught my independent study when i talk about the main character. Betty suarez- America Ferrera and Elle woods-
   Reese Witherspoon.
9. Status quo: Leaving things as they are. The media tend to leave representations as they are, however in media texts such as ugly betty, legally blonde and characters in Hollyoaks have broken status quo and hasn't followed it.
10. Watershed: Programmes that are aired after 9pm due to the contents of that programme. Programmes after this time tend to contain violence or sexual contents. Ugly Betty shows scenes that are inappropriate to children of a younger age. The programme makes reference to sex and even show scenes which are quite x-rated.

My Self Evaluation

WWW:

• Slides were short and simple
• Links between my study and theories/theorists i am going to use
• Good Presentation

EBI:

• Spoke more clearly
• Less nervous/not stuterred on my words
• More reseatch on wider concepts

10 point action plan

1. I will need to Conduct more research on my choosen text and related text as i haven't done much of this yet. I will need to research area's of MIGRAIN of my related texts as i have only done this for two of my texts. I will need more information on the institutions of my related texts as the research i have found now is not a lot. I am going to try and have this completely up to date by 4th November.
2. My second target will be to find out about more theorists that i can use that relate to my independent study. I will try to find theorists that have researched a number of different issues such as the representation of women in programmes rather than films, whether the representations have changed etc. I can research a number of different sociologists, particularly feminists as these individuals have a huge concern about women and their rights. I can also research Anne Oakley to see if her findings relate to my study. I will try and get this done by 30th October.
3. I will be aiming to make all the posts that haven't come up on my blog appear as this problem has occured for a long period of time. I will come up with a solution for this target by 26th October.
4. I will need to use other mediums to help me throughout my independent study. I have only used the interent and past blogs to help me on my way. As I was told that i needed different sources and not only the internet i have decided to look at other sources of information, such as books on representation of women in the media. I will try to broaden my sources of information and have this all completed by 3rd November.
5. My fifth target is use wider concept, i will need to broaden my understanding on SHEP/ i will make reference to social, historical, economical and political issues. I haven't touched upon this assessment objective yet, so i need to make progress and make my onto starting it. I can do this by looking through books from the library or different internet links and websites such as media guardian. I will have this completed by 3rd November.
6. I need to create a bibliography of all the different sources used. I need to make reference of all the internet sites i used, the books i used and any other source i used for information. This needs to be updated and completed by 4th November.
7. I need to broaden my use of media terminology. I am going to use the A-Z booklet of words that i was given by my media teacher. With this booklet i am going to scan through all my blogs posted and see whether any words can be replaced with media terms from the booklet. I will have this done by 4th November.
8. I need to start putting all the information together and create a plan on how my answer could be answered. I need to either bullet point or create a table on both sides of the arguement, so i can make it more easier for me when i have to start writing my essay. This will be done by 28th October.
9. I need to read more reviews and post my findings onto a blog. This will allow me to see other people's view on whether they agree or disagree with my proposed question. I will also be able to find extra infromation that i can use in my independent study. This will be completed and posted on my blog by 27th October.
10. Finally, I need to re-write/edit my question to see if it makes sense and if it is easily answerable. Right now my question seems to difficult to answer as it is quite broad and is asking a number of different questions, rather than asking one specific question. This target will be completed by 26th October.