Considered to be in a "post-feminist" society, why are female characters in contemporary US sitcoms still being negatively/sexually represented?
Angle
what impact does the female characters representation have on female audiences? does it really affect on how women behave and have thoughts towards their appearance?
Hypothesis
The female characters in the sitcoms do have a big effect on women. as it sets a standard they have to meet with looks and behaviour and if they don't they wont receive the male attention they want. And if they don't reach that standard society will isolate you.
Linked Production piece
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MIGRAIN
Media language-
hot dumb blondes- characters are only there for visual pleasure, and dont contribute a mass amount
clothing according to character and personality- geeks- sweater vests.
non-diegetic music- laughs only- hypodermic needle injects the idea of laughing on that scene
accents/beliefs- stereotypical- for example Raj's accent and sheldons mum view on gay's/
high key lighting- connotes happiness and joy- relates to comedy
transitions- atoms- to show the sense of the physics on the show
institution
media conglomerates- Warner bros- who also produce two and half men
Americanisation- american views- penny's Hollywood dream or 30 rock based on a american channel
commercial- very mainstream
Warner bros
conservative views?-traditional roles- the man the breadwinner and also women behaving in a certain way such as how in 30 rock Tina Fey is thought to be a lesbian by her co-workers as she doesn't behave in the traditional way.
E4
genre
comedy
romance- side track throught out the whole show- which relates to ideologies of heterosexuality
sitcom
representation
stereotypical- male gaze- on penny as she is seen as trophy between the guys in the first season
women smurfette principal- how penny is was the only female cast member from season 1 to 3 and wasn't the best representation of women, hence female audiences don't see a good image of themselves to looks up to.
women the trophy- sexual prize
dominant male- how penny needs money and goes to Leonard and sheldon, as they can "provide" for her.
conservative values- Heterosexuality, marriage, views on gay relationship
audience
B/C1- California lifestyle, the "american dream"- middle class lifestyle- as also Leonard and sheldon are lecturers in a university hence reflecting highly educated individuals.
innovators/mainstreamer/aspirer- main-streamers as the insitiution as very commerical and the topics and lifestyle is very current. Aspirers as how penny wants to be a hollywood star people who have similar dreams might relate to her. And also Leonard and Sheldon being astro physicists who come up with different theoires people who are innovaters can relate.
escapism/personal integrative- People can gain escapism as the jokes and also learn things from that.
-guest stars as well- steven hawking and stan lee.
narrative
sitcom each episode has one story- Todroff narrative theory
sidetrack through out the series- couple or event
Social
Sexualisation of women
stereotypes still reinforced- traditional gender roles- certain ethnicities and their labels
Retro sexism- new way of showing sexism- e.g women and sciences
women's wants and desires
Historic
Third wave feminism- how preffered view could be how women are independent and decide to make themselves sexually appealing.
gender roles- the traditional gender roles
more open about sex- How people are more open about sexual relationships.
Economic
sexual happiness- as how during recession people turn to the media to gain that sense of "sexual" happiness to gain escapism from their day to day problems.
Political
Feminism-
patriarchy- within the industry as how the major directors and writers are main hence their views on women will come across in their work.
Issues/Debates
-Representation and stereotyping- male gaze- stereotype of women
-Media effects- hypodermic needle - acceptance of the values/roles about/of women
-Reality TV- representation of women in top reality shows e.g Geordie shore
-ownership and control- patriarchal industry?- sex sells?
Theories
-audience theories- Uses and gratifications- escapism from the text or females identify with the characters hence then behaving like that or rejecting the idea
-Gender and ethnicity- stereotypical- big bang theory- penny and Raj. the audience like stereotypes as they see them as normal.
-Genre- Sitcoms- has that sense of heterosexual ideologies- Comedy- character out of the stereotype makes it more funny
Contemporary media landscape
the idea of female representation in television has been a topic that has been debated about over so many years. The reason is fits into the contemporary media landscape is how on television over the years female representation has changed. With women being still sexually represented we can still agree the position of women has improved. Furthermore also being said to be in a post feminist era, can we agree with that looking at the media texts that have been out there in society for about 5 years now..?
Media texts
Big bang theory
Other
30 rock
new girl
the community
modern family
Tv documentaries
Family guys? What sitcoms say about america Now- BBC TWO- How the the situations in society is reflected within tv shows
The F-word- who wants to be a feminist- "Demonising" the idea of feminism
Sex story: fifty shades of grey-Channel 4- how people are more open about sex and sexual relationships
Academic Texts/books
female chauvinist pigs-Ariel levy- ( How women are being trained into being labelling their own gender)
Gender and the media -Rosalind Gill
Doing gender in media , art and culture-Routledge
Article
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/slut-dropping-and-pimps-and-hoes--the-sexual-politics-of-freshers-week-8203400.html
http://www.studentpulse.com/articles/548/women-in-american-media-a-culture-of-misperception
America being media obsessed
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2012/oct/23/women-media-representation-online-news
Womens role within the print media
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/w/women/index.html
Variety of articles on women within the media
http://www.motherjones.com/media/2011/10/miss-representation-doc-shows-ugly-side-women-media
about a movie on the mis-representation of women
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