MIGRAIN: Feminist Theory

Media Magazine MM40:

1) What examples are provided from the two texts of the 'male gaze' (Mulvey)?
Beyonce's 'Why Don't You Love Me' and 'PanAm'

2) Do texts such as these show there is no longer a need for feminism or are they simply sexism in a different form?

Throughout the video, Beyonce plays at being a housewife, humorously burning dinner, parodying mopping floors and dusting, all the while playfully gazing at the camera providing the audience with knowing winks in her'sexy outfits'. This self-concious address allows Beyonce to be objectified, welcoming the male gaze but simultaneously also avoiding feminist criticism through this use of parody and humour. They are not sexist. The women are reclaiming their status as a 'sex symbol' and humour sort of playing to the traditional gender scripts.

3) Choose three words/phrases from the glossary of the article and write their definitions on your blog.

Feminism: A movement aimed at defining and establishing women's rights and equality to men.
Patriarchy: An ideology that places men in a dominant position over women.
Nostalgia: A sentimental longing for the past, often only remembering the positives of the time. 


Media Magazine MM69:


1) How does the writer suggest gender performativity is established from a young age?

 The writer suggests that gender is a social construction and is therefore taught to us by external influences which is ingrained from a young age that we often mistake it for 'nature' rather than ' nurture'

2) What does the phrase 'non-binary' refer to and how does it link to Butler's theory?

Is a spectrum of gender identities that are not exquisitely male or female. This correlates to Butler's theory as she claims that people have realised that gender is a social construction and is therefore, convertible 

3) How and why does the media help reinforce gender stereotypes? The writer provides several examples in the final section of the article.

Media products contribute to the social construction of gender roles because most products do conform to stereotypes. When females (and non-white working-class, LGBTQ, disabled etc.), are presented as inferior, males (white,wealthy, heterosexual, able-bodied etc.),come out as superior.

Beyonce: Why don't you love me

1) How might this video contribute to Butler’s idea that gender roles are a ‘performance’?


The music video helps contribute to Butler's idea that gender roles are a performance because Beyoncé, is being told how to act for the video (which she just accepts passively) in order to 'act' more like a women, i.e. making her expose herself, being in the kitchen.

2) What might van Zoonen suggest regarding the representation of women in this video?

Van Zoonen believes the media plays a crucial role in establishing gender roles and the dominance of patriarchal ideologies and the video is displaying women has objects.

3) What are YOUR views on this debate – does Beyonce empower women or reinforce the traditional ‘male gaze’ and oppression of women? 

I believe that throughout the video, Beyonce plays upon the idea of being a 'housewife', through burning food and doing household chores whilst also looking directly at the camera showing her awareness of the audience. Through this self- consciousness, Beyonce allows herself to be objectified leading to the male gaze. However, she avoids feminist criticism through utilising humour and parody in the music video. 

Will Jay: Gangsta 

1) How does the video suggest representations of masculinity have changed in recent years?
Due to the fact that people are more susceptible to moving away from conventional gender stereotypes. More individuals within society are now becoming more open in terms of their sexuality and so are subverting such stereotypes. The video also shows people who have influence over the media are changing the media landscape and going against old stereotypes. Technology is improving society in such way. 

2) What does David Gauntlett suggest about representations of men in the media over the last 20 years?

He believes the explosion in media consumption in the 1980s and 90s gave audiences a chance to actively construct their identities and possibly move away from traditional stereotypes. However, he still acknowledged Butler and van Zoonen: “Although the popular remix of feminism is accepted by young women, it remains the case that most women and men remain somewhat constricted within particular gender roles.”

3) What is YOUR view on the representation of men and masculinity? Are young men still under pressure from the media to act or behave in a certain way?

I believe that young men are still under pressure from the media to act or behave in a certain way due to the stigma that drives them to be embarrassed of expressing and accepting their masculinity. The media injects information into audiences (as supported by the hypodermic needles model), and so therefore individual's opinions are likely to be heavily influenced effortlessly by the media which plays a huge part in what people accept as the norms of society or things that do not fit in. Furthermore, Blumer and Katz uses and gratifications theory further supports this as they state that audiences are passive, accepting in how they consume media texts and so this influence of the media on people plays a prominent part in relation to young men still feeling under pressure from the media to act or behave in a certain way.