Feminist and gender theory

 Feminist theory: blog tasks

Create a blogpost called 'Feminist theory - blog tasks' and complete the following tasks on your blog:

Media Magazine reading - two articles on feminism and theory

Read Playing With The Past: Post-feminism and the Media (MM40, page 64 - our Media Magazine archive is here). This is a great example of sophisticated media analysis and an indication of the level we want to be writing at by the end of the two-year course.

1) What examples are provided from the two texts of the 'male gaze' (Mulvey)?

Beyonces music video where she objectifies herself on camera intentionally for the male gaze. And the show Pan am.

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

Beyonce purposely presents herself n that way in order to empower women and own her sexuality. Some may see it as sexist but many see it as empowering. This presents sexism in a different form however femenism is still needed.

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

Nostalgia – A sentimental longing for the past, often only remembering the positives of the time.

Patriarchy – An ideology that places men in a dominant position over women.

Feminism – A movement aimed at defining, establishing, and defending women’s rights and equality to men.

Now read The Theory Drop: Gender Performativity (MM69, page 25) and answer the following questions.

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

Girls are taught to be passive and caring and are taught to like pink and have toys such as dolls and kitchen, establishing a homemaker motherly role. Boys aggression and disruption is excused and its often said " boys will be boys" The are exposed to toys such as cars and dinosaurs teaching them to be masculine and dominant.

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

Not assigned to a specific gender. Butler believes gender is a performance and the media can influence this.

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

Men are portrayed as hyper masculine, dominant and aggressive whilst women are over sexualised for male pleasure and portrayed as innocent and nurturing often taking the role of just a homemaker.





Music video analysis

Finally, write up our analysis of the two music videos we studied in class. This is your opportunity to develop your own opinions on these crucial media debates. If you're not sure on any of these theories, look at the theory notes above to help you.

Watch the Beyonce video for ‘Why Don’t You Love Me?’: 

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

Beyonce is wearing revealing clothes and is dressed up with makeup for male pleasure. Over sexualising herself as very feminine as a performance.

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

Van Zoonen might argue that the video reinforces traditional gender roles by sexualising Beyoncé’s character and placing her in a domestic setting. However, the self-awareness and irony in the performance could also challenge these stereotypes

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

I think Beyonce is reclaiming and expressing her own sexuality in order to empower women and promote feminism. However some people may think the opposite and think that shes exploiting herself for fame.

Watch Will Jay's video for ‘Gangsta’:



1) How does the video suggest representations of masculinity have changed in recent years?

This MV challenges stereotypical gender roles. It shows that men dont have to be aggressive and rude to be masculine, they can be empathetic and express emotion.

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

Gauntlett suggests that media representations of men have become more diverse, moving away from rigid stereotypes to include portrayals of men as emotionally open, caring, and multifaceted.

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?

Yes i think, however its slowly changing.