Research Proposal
· Title-Has the media industry subverted from the stereotypical sexual representation of women, with particular reference to “The Sopranos” by David Chase (2006)?

Hypothesis-Women undertake the sexually objectified character role, reinforcing the representations of women as “eye candy”.

Migrain
· Mise en Scene-This is mob life, there are strippers, the “bada bing”, women ar either treated like whores or glamorous houswives. Females are perceived as passive characters as they are only seen by the audience in the “bada bing” dancing, committing sexual orientations or at home cooking food and carrying out the nurture role.
· Ideologies-Alters the views of women in America and women dependant on men, they are idealised as sexually motivated.
· Genre-Gangster drama, portrayal not of gangsters as such but their way of life and how their actions affect other people.
· Representations- Females are represented as sexual objects that can be bought off by jewellery and other material goods.
· Audience-Targeted at mostly males I would say however the family side that is depicted in the show would attract female audiences. The Sopranos would appeal to audiences from a c1/c2 socio economic group.
· Narrative-Follow Todorov’s theory the opening begins with a normal routine day, then a disruption occurs and is sorted it out however some storylines are finished with unresolved issues and ended with cliff-hangers to create enigma.

Wider Context
· The women in “The Sopranos” are all beautiful however are portrayed as either housewives or “gumars” the show depicts societies deceit and unfaithfulness.
· The Sopranos is presented to the audience as a patriarchal society as women either seen at home, shopping or working in the club and men such as Tony Soprano are seen as the breadwinners.
· Women are treated as possessions and are seen as something for men’s pleasures.

Theorists
· Laura Mulvey-Suggests that there were two distinct modes of the male gaze of this era: “voyeuristic” (i.e. seeing women as ‘Madonna’s’) and “fetishist” (i.e. seeing women as ‘whores’). Mulvey believed that classical Hollywood cinema reflected and shaped the “patriarchal order”, the perspective of her writing actually remained within that very heterosexual order.

Other Texts-
The Sopranos (all seasons) by David Chase (1999-2007)
Goodfellas by Martin Scorsese (1990)