tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66956465096218679162024-02-07T05:36:40.750-08:00The sopranos "she was a whore"Jashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10138923379043235087noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6695646509621867916.post-53493018552423593102008-05-08T05:00:00.000-07:002008-05-08T05:01:34.437-07:00<span style="color:#cc0000;">“Well Tony, what about all the thousand other fucking pigs you had your dick in over the years? The strippers, the cocktail waitresses, were they all your best friends all of them too?”</span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[1]</span></a><br /><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">How does 'The Sopranos'</span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[2]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> subvert stereotypical representations of women in the gangster genre?</span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;"></span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">The widely acclaimed “greatest pop-culture masterpiece of its day”</span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[3]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;">, The Sopranos originated by David Chase, is a gangster genre television drama series which was aired by HBO. The gangster genre is renowned for its male dominated casts upon which storylines are fixated. Female characters have been “underrepresented...in fictional life”</span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[4]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> throughout the history of this genre, they have undertaken passive character roles and been depicted as fetishized objects of the male gaze by the predominantly male directors and writers. In order to determine whether ‘The Sopranos’ reinforces the stereotypical representation of women in the contemporary gangster genre it is essential to look into detail the character roles of women in the programme and compare successful historical texts with it.<br />The media “is such a male dominated industry”</span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[5]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;">, and this implies that women’s views and representation of their gender are not put across fairly or accurately in the industry. This has resulted in a “glass ceiling”</span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn6" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[6]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> as society is depicted through patriarchy and even though women are progressing they are aware of the higher stages men are already situated in the industry. Therefore, acting as ‘gatekeepers’ allowing some women to emerge into higher levels within the media industry. Moreover, the idea of more men directing exemplifies the stereotypical representations of women in films and dramas, this displays their constructed views of women and pleasing the male audience. This also creates a sense of patriarchal order in the media and film industry as the auteur and the writer constructs the representation of women a “bitch, mother or sex symbol”</span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn7" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[7]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;">. In addition to this, Naomie Harris states that “Everything starts in the writing...we don’t really see women as we see ourselves and as we really are because it’s only men writing for us”. This reinforces the ideologies of men playing the role of ‘puppet master’ in the film industry as women are forced to act as they are told to, and it exemplifies their inferiority in the media industry as they are moulded and conformed into stereotypical characterizations to create a sense of identification with audience and character.<br /> Women are therefore labelled with distinct stereotypes such as “blonde bimbo” or a typical “housewife”. These stereotypes and representations support Mulvey’s theory of women either categorized as “whore”: seen as fetishized sexual objects of the “male gaze”</span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn8" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[8]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;">, fulfilling male audiences sexual and non-sexual pleasures; or as the “Madonna” when women are depicted as stereotypical housewives undertaking domestic chores to fulfil society’s ideals of suburban non-threatening women.<br />Carmela Soprano undertakes a stereotypical materialistic role in The Sopranos; she is depicted as a “Madonna”. The “social climbing Mafioso housewife...lives a comfortable middleclass existence partly paid for by prostitution”</span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn9" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftn9" name="_ftnref9"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[9]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;">, Carmela can be seen as the binary opposite of the strippers/whores that work for Tony. Due to the fact that Carmela is a housewife and Tony pays for her expenses it depicts her dependency of male race. Money symbolises Carmela’s inferiority in society as she fixated upon traditional family values of the man being the breadwinner, and herself undertaking a nurturing approach. Furthermore, “women [are seen] to be shown as ...in need of protection and direction”, this emphasises the reliance Carmela has on Tony.<br />On Tony’s birthday, however, Carmela is shown to be sexually pleasuring Tony; but the scene has been constructed by the director and editors to cut off Carmela from the screen and strictly focus on Tony’s facial expressions, and this highlights the emphasis on male pleasures within society. Additionally, as Carmela is cut off the screen this enforces her subservience to Tony, this reinforces Mulvey’s theory of women as passive characters. This visual conception of the role of women onscreen, Mulveys argues, consequently allows males to indulge in their voyeuristic pleasures. As the viewer we are encouraged to identify with the male protagonist; therefore as women are usually represented in films as objects of the male gaze/sex objects we as the audience are also positioned in a masculine role, and therefore influenced to think from a male perspective.<br />The wave of feminism during the First World War and the 1970’s was a way of liberating female freedom and opportunity for women. Women had already worked in munitions factories undertaking male gender role, and disrupting social order in the 1940’s the men came back from the war. Women were enlightened but continued to work as secretaries. In addition to this, the second wave of feminism struck in the 1970’s as women felt oppressed and restricted by patriarchy; therefore to break free from the bounds of men they burnt their bras as symbol of overcoming repression and subservience. Women could make their own money and therefore were not dependant on the male bread winner. Additionally, “women in many parts of the world have gained a whole range of legal rights, opportunities and protections, and many of these women have moved into areas of work previously monopolised by men”</span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn10" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftn10" name="_ftnref10"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[10]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;">.<br />The effect of feminism is depicted through the Grandmother/ Tony’s mother subverts from stereotypical representations of women and grandmothers in contemporary society. We as the audience link a grandmother to the ideas of them as sweet, feeble caring and especially a family member who gives gifts, however, Grandmother Livia Soprano- “...is in some ways tougher than [Tony] and even contracts a killer to murder [him]”</span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn11" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftn11" name="_ftnref11"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[11]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;">. This portrays the physical “confidence in way that’s genuinely empowering”. Tony’s mother switches gender roles and is portrayed as masculine, she symbolises the strength in women today in the 21st century, enforcing the idea of a matriarchal society. The idea of the ‘Whore’ or Madonna’ is not evident in Livia’s character as she does not undertake any maternal characteristics and is broken away from the stereotypical depictions of “nice old granny’s”.<br /> “Women were free from family...pressures”</span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn12" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftn12" name="_ftnref12"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[12]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;">, characters such as Dr Melfi depict that The Sopranos have “put successful professional women at the forefront”. Melfi is depicted as intelligent, independent women earning money from a working respectable job as psychiatrist; receiving a preferred reading from the female audience. “Tony Soprano has been able to confide in Melfi many things that he has told no one else”</span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn13" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftn13" name="_ftnref13"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[13]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;">, this shows that a macho, sadistic dangerous man has been tamed by a women. However, it can be seen that Tony goes to Dr Melfi for comfort and solving emotional problems, this insinuates that Dr Melfi is only undertaking maternal instincts and nurturing Tony Soprano mentally back to health. Additionally, although Dr Melfi is an independent women working as a psychiatrist she is a single mother who undertakes roles of cooking at home and other domestic stereotypical roles and is a bread winner, enforcing the ideologies of the ‘double burden’ women face in contemporary society. This shows that feminism has given more opportunities however they have to be both “the perfect mother and the perfect lady”</span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn14" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftn14" name="_ftnref14"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[14]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> and the “careless career women”.<br />In addition to this Melfi faces the issues of being raped in a underground car park, the low key lighting suggests her blindness of problems within society and her disilusions of her being independent and successful implying her gender equality. The rapist enforces the patriarchal society in which women live, “Tuchman asserts that those women who [are] shown to be working [are] portrayed as incompetents and inferiors, as victims”</span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn15" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftn15" name="_ftnref15"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[15]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;">. This creates sadistic male audience pleasures as it connotes male dominance and the rapist empowered by committing this horrific act of mankind.<br />Women a depicted as “merely token females”</span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn16" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftn16" name="_ftnref16"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[16]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> in films and television programmes, there to fulfil male fantasies. The scene with a stripper asking to work in the V.I.P. section in the “Bada Bing”; she immediately sexually objectified by the doorman as she has to pay to work in room that will earn her more money than working on ‘the poles’. Additionally, the stripper is forced into giving the doorman a “blowjob” after her shift to work in the V.I.P room. The man acts as a “gate keeper”, this emphasises “the glass ceiling has been raised [as the stripper will be getting paid more, however] when they touch their head on it, they will look up and see men’s loafers”</span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn17" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftn17" name="_ftnref17"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[17]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;">. This “employs the concept of chauvinism which is applied to men who show no acknowledgement of the abilities of women”</span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn18" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftn18" name="_ftnref18"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[18]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;">. The dancer at the door is subjected to undertake an archetype role that does not push or make a difference to the storyline and make no effect to the narrative structure.<br />The stripper’s need of money “sees capitalism as the principal source of gender inequalities. In a capitalist class hierarchy, women are seen as being subordinate to men and serving the male workforce in terms of low-paid, low status employment and unpaid domestic labour”</span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn19" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftn19" name="_ftnref19"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[19]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;">. Women with degrading or fetishized jobs outline their class in society, even though they may get paid high amounts.<br />Moreover, in the scene Tracee is dressed in a tight, revealing dress, the red dress connotes women as impure and reinforces the prejudices against so-called “white trash”. The mise en scene used in here imposes Laura Mulvey’s theory of the male gaze as the two dimensional stripper character fulfils the male audience’s sexual fantasies and desires. This depicts that women are continuously restricted and bound to wear seductive clothing and seen as “a bit of skirt”</span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn20" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftn20" name="_ftnref20"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[20]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> for the male audiences’ visual pleasures. Implying that women are degraded through their tight attire and revealing bodies which is used in The Sopranos to gain higher viewer ratings. Whilst, at the same time, acting as a critique of patriarchy.<br />Furthermore, the strip club “The Bada Bing” is a symbol of the “male backlash”</span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn21" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftn21" name="_ftnref21"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[21]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> as the place is made for men to fulfil their sexual desires, the club undertakes the essence of pure misogyny, as women are treated and portrayed as sex slaves selling their body to entertain men. The club shapes the patriarchal order in society and acts as microcosm of male dominance in the macrocosm world. Therefore this depicts a less progressive world for women, influenced by traditional values in society, women either undertaking a ‘Madonna’ or ‘Whore’ role.<br />“Don’t kiss me, how many cocks you suck tonight”, Tracee is verbally abused by Ralph and is constantly entitled to as a “gumar” and seen as a woman whose only reason in life is to fulfil male pleasure. The derogatory names used towards Tracee emphasises her portrayal “as powerless and ineffectual”</span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn22" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftn22" name="_ftnref22"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[22]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;">. This implies that the phallus is a symbol of male dominance over women and they are treated as sexual object only in the series for the male gaze and pleasure and not to drive the narrative. Additionally, Ralph slaps her back side; this demonstrates the ideologies of women as possessions and reinforcing the state of patriarchal order. The character of Tracee is dehumanised as she is treated as a sexual object. Outside the club there is a confrontation between Ralph and Tracee, Ralph beats up Tracee (Tracee replies) “does it make you feel like a man”, this exemplifies the issues in society as women are beaten up to empower the male gender. This suggests that if women “resist their placing” the consequences are fatal.<br />Furthermore, the scene uses close ups on the Ralph when Tracee is beaten up to death to exemplify his facial expressions. There are fewer shots of Tracee’s facial expressions, she is cut off the screen, and it is constructed to only depict Ralph’s emotions. This suggests to the audience that she is inferior, is of no importance and does not drive the narrative cycle. Moreover, the scene incorporates low angle shots to portray male dominance in the scene; Tracee is depicted as vulnerable and weak due to the high angle shots capturing her. Tracee's status and representation of whore seems to make her vulnerable to attack and is less deserving of safety and sexual freedom because she’s a stripper. “Domestic violence against women is seen to be the result of powerless male workforce exercising its frustration on the female sex rather than directing it at the class system”</span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn23" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftn23" name="_ftnref23"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[23]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;">. Additionally, the low key lighting connotes danger and vulnerable atmosphere, fulfils the expectations of the audience.<br />Moreover Tracee is beaten to death on outside next to bin bags and trash and is left dead next to the trash connotes the representation of women such as Tracee is compared to “trash” in society and is worthless and demeaning to men. This shows that “women are ultimately refused a voice...and their desire is subjected to male desire”</span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn24" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftn24" name="_ftnref24"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[24]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;">. The final long shot portrays her life as meaningless as the mise en scene depicts her class in society.<br />Furthermore, the scene with Janice Soprano having sex with Richie Aprile on the coach pointing a snub 38 revolver gun towards her head; the use of phallic the object by Richie (gun) exemplifies male dominance, additionally the penis let alone acts as a symbol of power and authority in society. Hence objectifying the passive female due to their sexual depiction as in Freudian terms they have no phallus creating penis envy for female audience; creating the audience to recognize them fethishistically .This therefore makes the male audience unconsciously perceive the female character as castrated enforcing Freud’s theory; imposing the idea of anxiety towards the male audience. Thus, the need for the female characters for a substitute fethisized/phallic objects to reduce the anxiety of the male audience who then gains narcissistic identification between the male character and the male audience. This “glamorizes men’s domination of women, and even the ultimate passivity...Faludi argued that this pushing of the idealization of weak and yielding women to its logical extreme represents a...backlash against feminism”.<br />However, McQuail states that “The female active role is represented as a controlling, active person upon whom the camera dwells not in order to display her sexual attractiveness, but to explore and convey the manner in which she is controlling the scene”</span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn25" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftn25" name="_ftnref25"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[25]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;">, this is clearly depicted in Goodfellas (by Martin Scorsese 1990); female empowerment is portrayed through a phallic object as the female Karen Hill has a gun pointed at James Conway’s head whilst he is awakening. The low angle shots portray her superiority and control of the situation, however due to her ignorance and dependency she is persuaded into handing the gun over to ‘Jimmy’. Similarly Janice Soprano is domestically abused by Richie Aprile however unlike Karen she does not stand for it; she shoots Richie Aprile in the chest twice. This depicts a more ruthless side of Janice, as the audience see a change in gender roles. The extensive use of guns in the Sopranos is mostly linked to male characters. However in another case a gun is used as a tool for women’s liberation and freedom. Guns are seen as objects resembling the phallus, relating to the ideologies of male patriarchy and repressors of female freedom. However in Janice Sopranos case with her violent relationship with Richie Aprile the gun is used to kill and penetrate the male character giving the idea of the female penetrating the male.<br />In contrast to this, HBO has released the official Sopranos console game; this creates personal relationships between the audience and the character game. However unlike most games such as ‘Tomb raider’ and other strong female characters the game revolves round a male protagonist, conforming to stereotypical representations of male heroic characters who “typically made decisions, which led the story, and were assertive, confident and dominant”</span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn26" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftn26" name="_ftnref26"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[26]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;">. This reinforces proppian theory as male characters are depicted as heroes saving the damsels in distress and problem solving.<br />Scarface by </span><a title="Howard Hawks" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Hawks"><span style="color:#cc0000;">Howard Hawks</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> (1932) is a film that depicts the zeitgeist of the period in which the film was produced in. The film depicts the social issues in America, the opening credits of the shows the purpose of the film “The picture is an indictment of gang rule in America and of the callous government to this constantly increasing menace to our safety and our liberty”. The opening credits straightforwardly outlines the problems America faces due to Gang control and violence in the 1930’s. The opening credits suggest the problems the people of America faced due to their economical issues, leading to gang crimes and violence.<br />The film glorifies the idea of being a gangster and enforces the ideologies of good versus evil. Furthermore the female characters are subordinate to the male characters and are made to be portrayed as female objects of the male gaze and perceived as ‘eye candy’.<br />The male character typically makes the “decisions which [lead] the story, and [are] assertive, confident and dominant”. The female characters undertook a more stereotypical role, they are “shown as frightened, in need of protection and direction and offering love and support to the male character”. However, Scarface’s sister is shown in the final seen to undertake a masculine role subverting from the stereotypical roles of women of the zeitgeist of the film. This similarly links to the Janice breaking away from the ‘shackles’ of domestic violence and inferiority. The film focused on the representations of real life gangsters of the period such as Al Capone.<br />In conclusion, despite the continuous categorized representations of women in the media as either ‘Whores’ or ‘Madonna’s’, women are breaking away from the restrictions patriarchy. Genre is “dynamic”</span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn27" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftn27" name="_ftnref27"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[27]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> , and ‘The Sopranos’ is a feminized television drama series of the gangster genre, as Nicholls clearly states that “genres become a mirror...to the social structure”</span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn28" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftn28" name="_ftnref28"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[28]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> that arises during the decade or era in which a film is produced in, it is reflective of the zeitgeist. Due to feminism women character portrayal in movies and TV dramas are more liberated to as they wish and are more independent as well careerists. Kathi Maio noted “strong, victorious women exist in film, just not often enough, and generally not in movies that get much play”</span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn29" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftn29" name="_ftnref29"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[29]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;">.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Bibliography<br />Books Cited<br />1)Reading The Sopranos (2007) by </span><a href="javascript:doAuthorSearch("><span style="color:#cc0000;">David</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> Lavery - This book explores how "The Sopranos" has rewritten the rules of television drama and changed attitudes about television itself. Contributors present fresh perspectives on psychotherapy and dreams; racism and the Italian-American community; Carmela and post-feminism. the book will be useful to my study as there is a section thatfocuses on women representations and thier power.2)Violence an the Media (2003) by </span><a href="javascript:doAuthorSearch("><span style="color:#cc0000;">Cynthia Carter</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;">, </span><a href="javascript:doAuthorSearch("><span style="color:#cc0000;">C.Kay Weaver</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> - "Violence and the Media" is a introduction to current issues about media violence and its potential influence on audiences. Carter and Weaver engage with a host of pressing issues around violence in different media contexts - including news, film, television, pornography, advertising and cyberspace. Also it covers key points such as desensitization and victims of violence such as women.3)Duttin, Rayner and Sullivan, (2003) Studying the Media – This is a generalised book on the media; it contains theory of genre and various other aspects such as narrative theory.<br />4)Bignell, Jonathan - Introduction to Television Studies (2004) – This book provides specific information on the television show ‘The Sopranos’.<br />5)Anne Kaplan (1990) Psychoanalysis & Cinema – The Book informs me on relevant feminist and women’s theory in cinema.<br /><br />6)McQuail, Denis (2000): McQuail’s Mass Communication Theory<br />7)Faludi, Susan – (1991) Introduction to Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women<br />8)Beddoe, Deirdre - Discovering Women's History: A Practical Guide to Researching the Lives of Women Since 1800 (1993)<br />9)Tuchman, Gaye - Hearth and Home: Images of Women in the Mass Media (1978)<br />10)Bryson, Valerie (1999): Feminist Debates – An in depth study into feminist theory. This essential towards my coursework as it has historical and wider contextual information, linking to SHEP.<br />12)Mulvey, Laura - Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema (1975) – The Book focuses on audience theory and representation of women in the media<br />13)Bartley, Paula - The Changing Role of Women (1996)<br /><br />14)Media, Gender and Identity: An Introduction (2002) by </span><a href="javascript:doAuthorSearch("><span style="color:#cc0000;">David Gauntlett</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> - It provides an in depth look into the different ways in which gender and identity and focuses on the media's influence on gender and sexuality. David Gauntlett explores the gender of contemporary media and draws on recent theories of gender and identity. This is one book in particular is relevant to my study as it outlines key theorists and theories and looks into SHEP.<br /><br />Books Read<br />1)Film Thoery An Introduction (1999) by </span><a href="javascript:doAuthorSearch("><span style="color:#cc0000;">Robert Stam</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> -It examines issues common to both subjects such as realism, narration, point of view, style, semiotics, Feminism and The Feminist Intervention and multiculturalism. It also includes coverage of theorists common to both, Barthes, Lacan and Bakhtin among others such as Laura Mulvey and thoeries such as the Male Gaze.<br />2)Feminist Theorists (1983) by by </span><a href="javascript:doAuthorSearch("><span style="color:#cc0000;">Dale Spender</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> - The book focuses on theory and thoerists around the 80's and even back to the late 1600's E.g. Mary Astell. This will aid my study as this book focuses on the historical side of SHEP.3)The meaning of wife (2004) by </span><a href="javascript:doAuthorSearch("><span style="color:#cc0000;">Anne Kingston</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> - Canadian journalist and social commentator Anne Kingston provides a fresh perspective on the role and how it affects the perception of women. This book: Explains the alternating currents of 'wifelash' and 'wifelust' Introduces the concept of the 'wife gap' that emerged in the wake of the twentieth-century women's movement Analyses the married woman's relationship to female power, sexuality and worth. The book will greatly coinside with my study as i will be looking at the representation of houswives such as Carmela as well as fetishists. It will outline the representation of houswives and the social issues.4)Race and Gender (1985) by Madeleine Arno - The book outlines the representations of women as well as racial issues, additionally it contains theories. The book is contains in-depth on these two key social issues in society; coveing one aspect of SHEP.5)Media Studies: The Essential Introduction (2001) by Phillip Rayner, Peter Wall and Steohen - Krugar - Explains the media concepts, cultural terms and theoretical perspectives. The book offers deeper insights to representation and gender also it looks in more depth with media theories and debates.<br />6)The Media Student's Book (2003) by </span><a href="javascript:doAuthorSearch("><span style="color:#cc0000;">Gill Branston</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;">, </span><a href="javascript:doAuthorSearch("><span style="color:#cc0000;">Roy Stafford</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> - The chapters of the book are supported by case studies which cover every key topic in the area. The book is divided into four parts studying key concepts; media practices; media debates; and provides resources in the final reference section also definitions, references and thoeries. This will help my study as it focuses on representations and stereotypes also it contains many theories and key terms.<br />8)The Cinema Book (1985) by Pam Cook & Mieke Bernink - It provides comprehensive coverage of seven major areas: Hollywood Cinema and Beyond; Stars; Technologies; World Cinemas; Genre; Authorship; and Developments in Theory. New topics include Global Hollywood; Contemporary Women Directors; Queer Theory; and Postmodernism. All sections are supported by in-depth analyses of films and genres from the earliest days to the present. This will be specifically important as it has in detailed pages on the gangster genre.<br />Websites<br />1. </span><a href="http://www.genderit.org/en/index.shtml?w=a&x=91365"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://www.genderit.org/en/index.shtml?w=a&x=91365</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">2. </span><a href="http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/stereotyping/women_and_girls/women_coverage.cfm"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/stereotyping/women_and_girls/women_coverage.cfm</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">3. </span><a href="http://www.medialit.org/focus/ster1_articles.html"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://www.medialit.org/focus/ster1_articles.html</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">4. </span><a href="http://www.barnard.edu/sfonline/hbo/johnson_01.htm"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://www.barnard.edu/sfonline/hbo/johnson_01.htm</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">5. </span><a href="http://www1.medialiteracy.com/representation.jsp"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://www1.medialiteracy.com/representation.jsp</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">6. </span><a href="http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Modules/MC30820/represent.html"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Modules/MC30820/represent.html</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">7. </span><a href="http://www.genderads.com/"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://www.genderads.com/</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">8. </span><a href="http://www.kidulthoodlife.blogspot.com/"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://www.kidulthoodlife.blogspot.com/</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">9. </span><a href="http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/gaze/gaze09.html"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/gaze/gaze09.html</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">10. </span><a href="http://www.allisonmedia.net/downloads/Year_12/Representation.pdf"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://www.allisonmedia.net/downloads/Year_12/Representation.pdf</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">11. </span><a href="http://mediaknowall.com/gender.html"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://mediaknowall.com/gender.html</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">12. </span><a href="http://www.answers.com/carmela%20soprano"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://www.answers.com/carmela%20soprano</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">13. </span><a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/tony-soprano"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://www.answers.com/topic/tony-soprano</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">14. </span><a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/meadow-soprano"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://www.answers.com/topic/meadow-soprano</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">15. </span><a href="http://www.answers.com/dr%20melfi"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://www.answers.com/dr%20melfi</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">16. </span><a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/the-sopranos?cat=technology"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://www.answers.com/topic/the-sopranos?cat=technology</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">17. </span><a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/masculism"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://www.answers.com/topic/masculism</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">18. </span><a href="http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_causes_someone_to_become_an_abuser"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_causes_someone_to_become_an_abuser</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">19. </span><a href="http://www.medialit.org/reading_room/article443.html"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://www.medialit.org/reading_room/article443.html</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">20. </span><a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/sexual-objectification"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://www.answers.com/topic/sexual-objectification</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">21. </span><a href="http://talentdevelop.com.wifip.html/"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://talentdevelop.com.wifip.html</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">22. </span><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://www.guardian.co.uk</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">23. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sopranos"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sopranos</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">Articles<br />Mediamagazine (2007) – The Sopranos<br />Mediamagazine (2007) – A beginners’ guide to Laura Mulvey<br />Moving Image<br />The Series season 1-6 by David Lavery (1999 – 2007) - HBO, USA<br />Goodfellas by Martin Scorsese (1990) – Warner Bros. - USA<br />Scarface by </span><a title="Howard Hawks" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Hawks"><span style="color:#cc0000;">Howard Hawks</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> (1932) – United Artists, USA<br /></span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[1]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0705294/quotes<br /></span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[2]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> Director – Chase, David (1999-2007)<br /></span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[3]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sopranos"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sopranos</span></a><br /><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[4]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> Tuchman, Gaye - Hearth and Home: Images of Women in the Mass Media (1978)<br /></span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[5]</span></a><a href="http://film.guardian.co.uk/features/featurepages/0,,1432155,00.html"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://film.guardian.co.uk/features/featurepages/0,,1432155,00.html</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> – Why are women directors such as rare sight?<br /></span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn6" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[6]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> Bartley, Paula - The Changing Role of Women (1996)<br /></span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn7" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[7]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> </span><a href="http://film.guardian.co.uk/features/featurepages/0,,1432155,00.html"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://film.guardian.co.uk/features/featurepages/0,,1432155,00.html</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> - Why are women directors such as rare sight? – Harris, Naomie<br /><br /></span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn8" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[8]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> Mulvey, Laura - Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema (1975)<br /></span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn9" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[9]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> Lavery, David - Reading The Sopranos (2007) pg 39<br /></span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn10" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftnref10" name="_ftn10"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[10]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> Bryson, Valerie (1999): Feminist Debates<br /></span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn11" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftnref11" name="_ftn11"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[11]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> Bignell, Jonathan - Introduction to Television Studies (2004)<br /></span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn12" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftnref12" name="_ftn12"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[12]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> Elasmar, Hasegawa & Brain (1999) pg 33<br /></span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn13" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftnref13" name="_ftn13"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[13]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> </span><a href="http://www.answers.com/dr%20melfi"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://www.answers.com/dr%20melfi</span></a><br /><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn14" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftnref14" name="_ftn14"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[14]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> Beddoe, Deirdre - Discovering Women's History: A Practical Guide to Researching the Lives of Women Since 1800<br /></span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn15" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftnref15" name="_ftn15"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[15]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> Gauntlett, David Media, Gender & Identity (2002) - Representations of gender in the past<br /></span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn16" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftnref16" name="_ftn16"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[16]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> Gauntlett, David Media, Gender & Identity (2002) - Representations of gender in the past<br /></span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn17" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftnref17" name="_ftn17"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[17]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> </span><a href="http://talentdevelop.com.wifip.html/"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://talentdevelop.com.wifip.html</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"><br /></span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn18" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftnref18" name="_ftn18"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[18]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> Angela, and Joyce, Mark and Rivers, Danny (1999): Advanced Level Media. Great Britain: Hodder & Stoughton Educational pg 11<br /></span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn19" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftnref19" name="_ftn19"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[19]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> Media Dictionary – Marxist Capitalism<br /></span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn20" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftnref20" name="_ftn20"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[20]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> Duttin, Rayner and Sullivan, (2003) Studying the Media pg 115<br /></span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn21" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftnref21" name="_ftn21"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[21]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> Faludi, Susan – (1991) Introduction to Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women<br /></span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn22" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftnref22" name="_ftn22"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[22]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> Maio, Kathi, (1983) Media, Gender & Identity – Representation of gender in the past<br /></span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn23" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftnref23" name="_ftn23"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[23]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> Weaver, </span><a href="javascript:doAuthorSearch("><span style="color:#cc0000;">Kay Weaver</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> - Violence in the Media (2003) by </span><a href="javascript:doAuthorSearch("><span style="color:#cc0000;">Cynthia Carter</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"><br /></span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn24" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftnref24" name="_ftn24"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[24]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> Kaplan, Anne (1972) pg 13 – Media Gender & Identity, Representation of Gender in the Past/ Kaplan,<br /> Anne (1990)Psychoanalysis & Cinema<br /></span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn25" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftnref25" name="_ftn25"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[25]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> McQuail, Denis (2000): McQuail’s Mass Communication Theory<br /></span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn26" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftnref26" name="_ftn26"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[26]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> Gauntlett, David Media Gender & Identity (2002) - Representation of gender in the past<br /></span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn27" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftnref27" name="_ftn27"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[27]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> Steve Neale (1990)<br /></span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn28" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftnref28" name="_ftn28"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[28]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> Bill Nicholls – Movies and Methods<br /></span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn29" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftnref29" name="_ftn29"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[29]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> Maio, Kathi (1990</span>Jashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10138923379043235087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6695646509621867916.post-27290086948480681442008-02-27T14:23:00.000-08:002008-02-27T14:48:38.609-08:00<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#cc0000;">Attainment: 2 - i mean i do the work thats due with no excuses so far... and produced the independant study, but my minds been everywhere with three c/w's.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#cc0000;">Effort: 2 - i try my best at this very time with all the work im set in the time im given to do it whether its in class or homework. but i know i can definatley try harder<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#cc0000;">Punctuality: 2 - i've been late to lessons at some point like today, i guess i will try harder to be punctual...i will by sleeping earlier in the morinings for first period but on thursdays im sure i'll come to school on time before luch ends. also it will get better as i was off at uni open days and interviews, thats the end of that now.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#cc0000;"><br />Submission and quality of homework: 1 - works always on time, Independant study on time and blog work is also done.<br /><br />Ability to work independently: 1 - the independant study proves this, but these tasks you set like goodness gracious me clips and other blof work, shows i work well independantly.<br /><br />Quality of writing: 2.5 - needs major improvement, i know i want to say but don't word it write, probably because it's rushed sometimes. but this was certainly not the point with the independant study!<br /><br />Organisation of Media folder: 1 - the folder is all gooooood, all hand outs ar placed neatly and locatable.<br /><br />Oral contributions in class: 2 - i contribute at certain times however i should more often, sometimes it's just the case who speaks fisrt or if the points already said.<br /><br />Contribution to the debate team: 1 - seeming as i'm one of the speaker i think i'm doing contributing alot as well researching.<br /><br />Extra-curricular work (film projects etc.): 2 - i mean i've been workin on my own video clips from the trip to blackpool with the boys.. try make a teen trailer out of it and also helped jagjeet with the school music video.<br /><br />Standard of Module 5 blog: 1 - its pretty good as it has all my research for the media independant study, also its titled sufficiently.<br /><br />Standard of Module 6 blog: 2 - it gets updated with media news often but need to keep up sometimes i forget.</span><br /></span>Jashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10138923379043235087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6695646509621867916.post-50251162666294081412008-02-03T19:07:00.000-08:002008-02-03T19:13:04.302-08:00<span style="color:#cc0000;">How does 'The Sopranos' by David Chase (1999-2007) subvert stereotypical representations of women in the gangster genre?</span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;"></span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">The widely acclaimed “greatest pop-culture masterpiece of its day”</span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[1]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;">, The Sopranos originated by David Chase (1999-2007) is a gangster genre series which was aired by HBO. The gangster genre is renowned for its male dominated casts to whom storylines are fixated upon. Female characters have been “underrepresented...in fictional life”</span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[2]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> throughout the history of this genre, they have undertaken passive character roles and been depicted as fetishized objects of the male gaze by the predominantly male directors’ and writers'. In order to determine whether The Sopranos by David Chase (1999-2007) reinforces the stereotypical representation of women in the contemporary gangster genre it is essential to look into detail the character roles of women in The Sopranos and compare historical texts with The Sopranos.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">The media “is such a male dominated industry”</span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[3]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;">, this implies that women’s views and representation of their gender are not put across realistic in the industry. This is resulted through the glass ceiling as society is depicted through patriarchy and even though women are progressing they are aware of the higher stages men are already situated in the industry. Therefore, acting as ‘gatekeepers’ allowing some women to emerge into higher levels within the media industry. Moreover, the idea of more men directing exemplifies the stereotypical representations of women in films and dramas, this displays their constructed views of women and pleasing the male audience. This also creates a sense of patriarchal order in the media and film industry as the auteur and the writer constructs the representation of women a “bitch, mother or sex symbol” [3]. In addition to this Naomie Harris states that “Everything starts in the writing...we don’t really see women as we see ourselves and as we really are because it’s only men writing for us”. This re-enforces the ideologies of men playing the role of ‘puppet master’ in the film industry as women are forced to act as they are told to, this exemplifies their inferiority in the media industry as they are moulded and conformed into stereotypical characterizations to create a sense of identification with audience and character.<br /> </span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">Women are therefore labelled with distinct stereotypes such as “blonde bimbo” or a typical housewife. These stereotypes and representations enhance Mulveys’ theory of women either categorized as “whore”: seen as fetishized sexual objects of the male gaze, fulfilling male audience sexual pleasures. Whereas the “Madonna” is women depicted as stereotypical housewives undertaking domestic chores to fulfil society’s ideals of suburban women.<br />Carmela Soprano undertakes a stereotypical materialistic role in The Sopranos; she is depicted as a “Madonna”. The “social climbing Mafioso housewife...lives a comfortable middleclass existence partly paid for by prostitution”</span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[4]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;">, Carmela can be seen as the binary opposite of the strippers/whores that work for Tony. Due to the fact that Carmela is a housewife and Tony pays for her expenses it depicts her dependency of male race. Money symbolises Carmela’s inferiority in society as sticks to traditional family values of the man being the breadwinner, and herself undertaking a nurturing approach. Furthermore, “women [are seen] to be shown as ...in need of protection and direction”, this emphasises the reliance Carmela has on Tony.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">Moreover, on Tony’s birthday Carmela is shown to be sexually pleasuring Tony; however the scene has been constructed by the director and editors to cut off Carmela from the screen and strictly focus on Tony’s facial expressions, this highlight the emphasis on male pleasures within society. Additionally the as Carmela is cut off the screen this enforces her subservience to the Tony, this re-enforces Mulvey’s theory of women as passive character. This visual conception of the role of women onscreen, Mulveys argues, consequently allows males to indulge in their voyeuristic pleasures. The viewer we are encouraged to identify with the male protagonist; therefore as women are usually presented in films as objects of the male gaze/sex objects we as the audience are also positioned in a masculine role, and therefore influenced to think from a male perspective.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">In contrast, the Grandmother/ Tony’s mother subverts from stereotypical representations women and grandmothers in contemporary society. We as the audience link a grandmother to the ideas of them as sweet, feeble caring and especially a family member who gives money to their grandchildren, however, Grandmother Livia Soprano- “...is in some ways tougher than [Tony] and even contracts a killer to murder [him]”</span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[5]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;">. This portrays the physical “confidence in way that’s genuinely empowering”. Tony’s mother switches gender roles and is portrayed masculine this, Livia symbolises the strength in women today in the 21st century. The idea of the ‘Whore’ or’ Madonna’ is not evident as she doesn’t undertake any maternal characteristics or and is broken away from the stereotypical depictions of “nice old granny’s”.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">The wave of feminism during the world and the 1970’s was a way of liberating female freedom and opportunity for women. Women worked in munitions factories undertaking male gender role, disrupting social order when the men came back from the war. Women were enlightened and continued to work as secretaries. In addition to this the second wave of feminism struck in the 1970’s as women felt oppressed and restricted by patriarchy, therefore to break free from the bounds of men they burnt their bras as symbol of overcoming repression and subservience. Women could work in offices become doctors and so on. Women could make their own money and therefore were not dependant on the male bread winner. “A significant decrease from the 1970’s; only 3 percent of women were represented as housewives as their main occupation”</span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn6" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[6]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;">.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">“Women were free from family...pressures”, characters such as Dr Melfi depict that The Sopranos have “put successful professional women at the forefront”. Melfi is depicted as intelligent independent women earning money from a working respectable job as physiatrist. “Tony Soprano has been able to confide in Melfi many things that he has told no one else”</span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn7" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[7]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;">, this shows that a macho, sadistic dangerous man has been tamed by a women (Tony Soprano). However it can be seen that Tony goes to Dr Melfi for comfort and solving emotional problems, this insinuates that Dr Melfi is only undertaking maternal instincts and nurturing Tony Soprano mentally back to health. Additionally, although Dr Melfi is an independent women working as a psychiatrist she is a single mother who undertakes roles of cooking at home and other domestic stereotypical roles and is a bread winner, enforcing the ideologies of the ‘double burden’ women face in contemporary society. This shows that feminism has given more opportunities however women have more work.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">In addition to this Melfi faces the issues of being raped in a underground car park, the low key lighting suggests her blindness of problems within society and her disillusions of her being independent and successful implying her gender equality. The rapist enforces the patriarchal society in which women live in, “Tuchman asserts that those women who [are] shown to be working [are] portrayed as incompetents and inferiors, as victims”</span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn8" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[8]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;">. This creates sadistic male audience pleasures as it connotes male dominance and the rapist empowered by committing this horrific act of mankind.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">The scene with a stripper asking to work in the V.I.P. section in the “Bada Bing”; she immediately sexually objectified by the doorman as she has to pay to work in room that will earn her more money than working on ‘the poles’. Additionally, the stripper is forced into giving the doorman a “blowjob” after her shift to work in the V.I.P room. The man acts as a “gate keeper”, this emphasises “the glass ceiling has been raised [as the stripper will be getting paid more, however] when they touch their head on it, they will look up and see men’s loafers”</span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn9" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftn9" name="_ftnref9"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[9]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;">. This “employs the concept of chauvinism which is applied to men who show no acknowledgement of the abilities of women”</span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn10" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftn10" name="_ftnref10"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[10]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;">. The dancer at the door is subjected to undertake an archetype role that does not push or make a difference to the storyline and make no effect to the narrative structure.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">The stripper’s need of money “sees capitalism as the principal source of gender inequalities. In a capitalist class hierarchy, women are seen as being subordinate to men and serving the male workforce in terms of low-paid, low status employment and unpaid domestic labour”</span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn11" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftn11" name="_ftnref11"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[11]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;">. Women with degrading or fetishized jobs outline their class in society, even though they may get paid high amounts.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">Moreover in the scene Tracee is dressed in a tight, revealing dress, the red dress connotes women as impure and reinforces the ideologies of “white trash”. The mise en scene used in the scene imposes Laura Mulvey’s theory of the male gaze as the archetype stripper characters the male audience’s sexual fantasies and desires. This depicts that women are continuously restricted and bound to wear seductive clothing and seen as “a bit of skirt”</span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn12" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftn12" name="_ftnref12"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[12]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> for the male audiences’ visual pleasures. Implying that women are degraded through their tight attire and revealing bodies which is used in The Sopranos to sell and gain high viewer ratings.<br />Furthermore the strip club “The Bada Bing” is a symbol of male backlash as the place is made for men to fulfil their sexual desires, the club undertakes the essence of pure misogyny, as women are treated and portrayed as sex slaves selling their body to entertain men. The club shapes the patriarchal order in society and acts as microcosm of male dominance in the macrocosm world.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">“Don’t kiss me, how many cocks you suck tonight”, Tracee is verbally abused by Ralph and is constantly stated to as a “gumar” and seen as a woman whose only reason in life is to fulfil male pleasure. The derogatory names used towards Tracee emphasises her portrayal “as powerless and ineffectual”</span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn13" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftn13" name="_ftnref13"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[13]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;">. This implies that the phallic is a symbol of male dominance over women and are treated as sexual object only in the series for the male gaze and pleasure and not to drive the narrative. Additionally Ralph slaps her back side; this enforces the ideologies of women as possessions and reinforcing the views of patriarchal order. The character of Tracee is dehumanised as she is treated as a sexual object. Outside the club there is a confrontation between Ralph and Tracee, Ralph beats up Tracee “does it make you feel like a man”, this exemplifies the issues in society as women are beaten up to empower the male gender. This suggests that if women “resist their placing” the consequences are fatal.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">Furthermore the scene uses close ups on the Ralph when Tracee is beaten up to death to exemplify his facial expressions. There are fewer shots of Tracee facial expressions, she is cut off the screen, and the scene is constructed to only depict Ralph’s emotions. This implicates to the audience that she is inferior, is of no importance and does not drive the narrative cycle. Moreover the scene incorporates low angle shots to portray male dominance in the scene; Tracee is depicted as vulnerable and weak due to the high angle shots towards her. Tracee's status representation of whore seems to make her vulnerable to attack and is less deserving of safety and sexual freedom because she’s a stripper. “Domestic violence against women is seen to be the result of powerless male workforce exercising its frustration on the female sex rather than directing it at the class system”.Additionally the low key lighting connote danger and vulnerable atmosphere, the low key lighting sets the aerie atmosphere and fulfil the expectations of the audience.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">There are no traditional narrative roles in the scene as Propps theory defied, Ralph undertakes the role of the villain however every mob member takes the role of an anti-hero or a villain, however Tracee cannot relate to a specific role as she is depicted as a archetype whore by the audience and her character is mediated in this way buy the director. The audience is only left to sympathise for Tracee.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">Moreover Tracee is beaten to death on outside next to bin bags and trash and is left dead next to the trash connotes the representation of women such as Tracee is compared to “trash” in society and is worthless and demeaning to men. This shows that “women are ultimately refused a voice...and their desire is subjected to male desire”</span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn14" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftn14" name="_ftnref14"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[14]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;">. The long shot portrays her life as meaningless as the mise en scene depicts her class in society.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">Furthermore, the scene with Janice Soprano having sex with Richie Aprile on the coach pointing a snub 38 revolver gun towards her head; the use of phallic the object by Richie (gun) exemplifies male dominance, additionally the penis let alone acts as a symbol of power and authority in society. Hence objectifying the passive female due to their sexual depiction as they have no phallic creating penis envy for the very little female audience; creating the audience to recognize them fethishistically .This therefore makes the male audience unconsciously perceive the female character as castrated enforcing Freud’s theory; imposing the idea of anxiety towards the male audience. Thus, the need for the female characters for a substitute fethisized/phallic objects to reduce the anxiety of the male audience who then gains narcissistic identification between the male character and the male audience. This “glamorizes men’s domination of women, and even the ultimate passivity...Faludi argued that this pushing of the idealization of weak and yielding women to its logical extreme represents a...backlash against feminism”.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">Goodfellas (by Martin Scorsese 1990) depicts female empowerment through phallic object as the female Karen Hill has a gun pointed at James Conway’s head whilst he is awakening. The low angle shots portray her superiority and control of the situation, however due to her ignorance and dependency she is persuaded into handing the gun over to “Jimmy”. Similarly Janice Soprano is domestically abused by Richie Aprile however unlike Karen she doesn’t stand for it; she shoots Richie Aprile in the chest twice. This depicts a more ruthless side of Janice, as the audience see a change in gender roles. The extensive use of guns in the Sopranos is mostly linked to male characters. However in another case a gun is used as a tool for women’s liberation and freedom. Guns are seen as objects resembling the phallic, relating to the ideologies of male patriarchy and repressors of female freedom. However in Janice Sopranos case with her violent relationship with Richie Aprile the gun is used to kill and penetrate the male character giving the idea of the female penetrating the male.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">Furthermore HBO has released the official Sopranos console game, this creates personal relationships between the audience and the character game. However unlike most games such as ‘Tomb raider’ the game revolves round a male protagonist, conforming to stereotypical representations of male heroic characters who “typically made decisions, which led the story, and were assertive, confident and dominant”</span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn15" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftn15" name="_ftnref15"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[15]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;">.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">Scareface by </span><a title="Howard Hawks" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Hawks"><span style="color:#cc0000;">Howard Hawks</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> (1932) is a film that depicts the zeitgeist of the period in which the film was mad in. The film depicts the social issues in America, the opening credits of the shows the purpose of the film “The picture is an indictment of gang rule in America and of the callous government to this constantly increasing menace to our safety and our liberty”. The opening credits straightforwardly outlines the problems America faces due to Gang control and violence in the 1930’s. The opening credits suggest the problems the people of America faced due to their economical issues, leading to gang crimes and violence.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">The film glorifies the idea of being a gangster and enforces the ideologies of good versus evil. Furthermore the female characters are subordinate to the male characters and are mad to be portrayed as female objects of the male gaze and perceived as ‘eye candy’.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">The male character typically the “decisions which [lead] the story, and [are] assertive, confident and dominant”. The female characters undertook a more stereotypical role, they are “shown as frightened, in need of protection and direction and offering love and support to the male character”. However Scarface’s sister is shown in the final seen to undertake a masculine role subverting from the stereotypical roles of women of the zeitgeist of the film. This similarly links to the Janice breaking away from the ‘shackles’ of domestic violence and inferiority. The film focused on the representations of real life gangsters of the period such as Al Capone.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">In conclusion, despite the continuous categorized representations of women in the media as either ‘Whores’ or ‘Madonna’s’, women are breaking away from the restrictions patriarchy. Due to feminism women character portrayal in movies and TV dramas are more liberated to as they wish and are more independent as well careerists. Kathi Maio noted “strong, victorious women exist in film, just not often enough, and generally not in movies that get much play”</span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn16" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftn16" name="_ftnref16"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[16]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;">.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Bibliography<br />Books<br />1) Reading The Sopranos (2007) by </span><a href="javascript:doAuthorSearch("><span style="color:#cc0000;">David</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> Lavery - This book explores how "The Sopranos" has rewritten the rules of television drama and changed attitudes about television itself. Contributors present fresh perspectives on psychotherapy and dreams; racism and the Italian-American community; Carmela and post-feminism. the book will be useful to my study as there is a section thatfocuses on women representations and thier power.</span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;"></span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">2) Violence an the Media (2003) by </span><a href="javascript:doAuthorSearch("><span style="color:#cc0000;">Cynthia Carter</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;">, </span><a href="javascript:doAuthorSearch("><span style="color:#cc0000;">C.Kay Weaver</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> - "Violence and the Media" is a introduction to current issues about media violence and its potential influence on audiences. Carter and Weaver engage with a host of pressing issues around violence in different media contexts - including news, film, television, pornography, advertising and cyberspace. Also it covers key points such as desensitization and victims of violence such as women.</span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;"></span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">3) Film Thoery An Introduction (1999) by </span><a href="javascript:doAuthorSearch("><span style="color:#cc0000;">Robert Stam</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> -It examines issues common to both subjects such as realism, narration, point of view, style, semiotics, Feminism and The Feminist Intervention and multiculturalism. It also includes coverage of theorists common to both, Barthes, Lacan and Bakhtin among others such as Laura Mulvey and thoeries such as the Male Gaze.</span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;"></span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">4) Feminist Theorists (1983) by by </span><a href="javascript:doAuthorSearch("><span style="color:#cc0000;">Dale Spender</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> - The book focuses on theory and thoerists around the 80's and even back to the late 1600's E.g. Mary Astell. This will aid my study as this book focuses on the historical side of SHEP.</span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;"></span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">5) The meaning of wife (2004) by </span><a href="javascript:doAuthorSearch("><span style="color:#cc0000;">Anne Kingston</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> - Canadian journalist and social commentator Anne Kingston provides a fresh perspective on the role and how it affects the perception of women. This book: Explains the alternating currents of 'wifelash' and 'wifelust' Introduces the concept of the 'wife gap' that emerged in the wake of the twentieth-century women's movement Analyses the married woman's relationship to female power, sexuality and worth. The book will greatly coinside with my study as i will be looking at the representation of houswives such as Carmela as well as fetishists. It will outline the representation of houswives and the social issues.</span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;"></span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">6) Race and Gender (1985) by Madeleine Arno - The book outlines the representations of women as well as racial issues, additionally it contains theories. The book is contains in-depth on these two key social issues in society; coveing one aspect of SHEP.</span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;"></span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">7) Media Studies: The Essential Introduction (2001) by Phillip Rayner, Peter Wall and Steohen - Krugar - Explains the media concepts, cultural terms and theoretical perspectives. The book offers deeper insights to representation and gender also it looks in more depth with media theories and debates.</span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;"></span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">8) The Media Student's Book (2003) by </span><a href="javascript:doAuthorSearch("><span style="color:#cc0000;">Gill Branston</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;">, </span><a href="javascript:doAuthorSearch("><span style="color:#cc0000;">Roy Stafford</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> - The chapters of the book are supported by case studies which cover every key topic in the area. The book is divided into four parts studying key concepts; media practices; media debates; and provides resources in the final reference section also definitions, references and thoeries. This will help my study as it focuses on representations and stereotypes also it contains many theories and key terms.</span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;"></span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">9) Media, Gender and Identity: An Introduction (2002) by </span><a href="javascript:doAuthorSearch("><span style="color:#cc0000;">David Gauntlett</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> - It provides an in depth look into the different ways in which gender and identity and focuses on the media's influence on gender and sexuality. David Gauntlett explores the gender of contemporary media and draws on recent theories of gender and identity. This is one book in particular is relevant to my study as it outlines key theorists and theories and looks into SHEP.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">10) The Cinema Book (1985) by Pam Cook & Mieke Bernink<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">11) Duttin, Rayner and Sullivan, (2003) Studying the Media<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">12) Angela, and Joyce, Mark and Rivers, Danny (1999): Advanced Level Media. Great Britain: Hodder & Stoughton Educational<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">13) Bignell, Jonathan - Introduction to Television Studies (2004)<br />Websites<br />1. </span><a href="http://www.genderit.org/en/index.shtml?w=a&x=91365"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://www.genderit.org/en/index.shtml?w=a&x=91365</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">2. </span><a href="http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/stereotyping/women_and_girls/women_coverage.cfm"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/stereotyping/women_and_girls/women_coverage.cfm</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">3. </span><a href="http://www.medialit.org/focus/ster1_articles.html"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://www.medialit.org/focus/ster1_articles.html</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">4. </span><a href="http://www.barnard.edu/sfonline/hbo/johnson_01.htm"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://www.barnard.edu/sfonline/hbo/johnson_01.htm</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">5. </span><a href="http://www1.medialiteracy.com/representation.jsp"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://www1.medialiteracy.com/representation.jsp</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">6. </span><a href="http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Modules/MC30820/represent.html"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Modules/MC30820/represent.html</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">7. </span><a href="http://www.genderads.com/"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://www.genderads.com/</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">8. </span><a href="http://www.kidulthoodlife.blogspot.com/"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://www.kidulthoodlife.blogspot.com/</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">9. </span><a href="http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/gaze/gaze09.html"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/gaze/gaze09.html</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">10. </span><a href="http://www.allisonmedia.net/downloads/Year_12/Representation.pdf"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://www.allisonmedia.net/downloads/Year_12/Representation.pdf</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">11. </span><a href="http://mediaknowall.com/gender.html"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://mediaknowall.com/gender.html</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">12. </span><a href="http://www.answers.com/carmela%20soprano"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://www.answers.com/carmela%20soprano</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">13. </span><a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/tony-soprano"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://www.answers.com/topic/tony-soprano</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">14. </span><a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/meadow-soprano"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://www.answers.com/topic/meadow-soprano</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">15. </span><a href="http://www.answers.com/dr%20melfi"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://www.answers.com/dr%20melfi</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">16. </span><a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/the-sopranos?cat=technology"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://www.answers.com/topic/the-sopranos?cat=technology</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">17. </span><a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/masculism"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://www.answers.com/topic/masculism</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">18. </span><a href="http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_causes_someone_to_become_an_abuser"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_causes_someone_to_become_an_abuser</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">19. </span><a href="http://www.medialit.org/reading_room/article443.html"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://www.medialit.org/reading_room/article443.html</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">20. </span><a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/sexual-objectification"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://www.answers.com/topic/sexual-objectification</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">21. </span><a href="http://talentdevelop.com.wifip.html/"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://talentdevelop.com.wifip.html</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">22. </span><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://www.guardian.co.uk</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">23. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sopranos"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sopranos</span></a><br /><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">Articles<br />Mediamagazine (2007) – The Sopranos<br />Mediamagazine (2007) – A beginners’ guide to Laura Mulvey<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">Other Texts<br />The Series season 1-6 by David Lavery (1999 – 2007)<br />Goodfellas by Martin Scorsese (1990)<br /></span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[1]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sopranos"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sopranos</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;"><br /></span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[2]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> Tuchman, Gaye<br /><br /></span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[3]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> </span><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://www.guardian.co.uk</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> – Why are women directors such as rare sight?<br /></span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[4]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> Lavery, David - Reading The Sopranos (2007) pg 39<br /></span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[5]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> Bignell, Jonathan - Introduction to Television Studies (2004)<br /></span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn6" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[6]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> Gauntlett, David Media, Gender & Identity (2002) - Representations of gender today<br /></span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn7" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[7]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> </span><a href="http://www.answers.com/dr%20melfi"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://www.answers.com/dr%20melfi</span></a><br /><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn8" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[8]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> Gauntlett, David Media, Gender & Identity (2002) - Representations of gender in the past<br /></span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn9" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[9]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> </span><a href="http://talentdevelop.com.wifip.html/"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://talentdevelop.com.wifip.html</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"><br /></span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn10" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftnref10" name="_ftn10"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[10]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> Angela, and Joyce, Mark and Rivers, Danny (1999): Advanced Level Media. Great Britain: Hodder & Stoughton Educational pg 11<br /></span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn11" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftnref11" name="_ftn11"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[11]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> Media Dictionary<br /></span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn12" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftnref12" name="_ftn12"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[12]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> Duttin, Rayner and Sullivan, (2003) Studying the Media pg 115<br /></span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn13" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftnref13" name="_ftn13"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[13]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> Maio, Kathi, (1983) Media, Gender & Identity – Representation of gender in the past<br /></span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn14" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftnref14" name="_ftn14"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[14]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> Kaplan, Anne (1972) pg 13 – Media Gender & Identity, Representation of gender in the past<br /></span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn15" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftnref15" name="_ftn15"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[15]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> Gauntlett, David Media Gender & Identity (2002) - Representation of gender in the past<br /></span><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn16" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6695646509621867916#_ftnref16" name="_ftn16"><span style="color:#cc0000;">[16]</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> Maio, Kathi</span> (1990Jashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10138923379043235087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6695646509621867916.post-2250956473955259452008-01-27T12:11:00.000-08:002008-01-27T12:12:00.427-08:00<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:180%;color:#cc6600;"><strong>Task 15 continued - checkout blog buds intro</strong></span><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:180%;color:#cc6600;"></span></strong><br /><a href="https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3744817234900190432&postID=6565958509875628195">https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3744817234900190432&postID=6565958509875628195</a>Jashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10138923379043235087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6695646509621867916.post-40796714388277239862008-01-06T20:54:00.000-08:002008-01-13T14:04:29.291-08:00<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff6600;">Opening Paragraph</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#ff6600;"></span><br /><span style="color:#ff9900;">Has does 'The Sopranos' by David Chase (1999-2007) subvert stereotypical representations of women in the gangster genre?</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff0000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff0000;">The widely acclaimed “greatest pop-culture masterpiece of its day” [1], The Sopranos originated by David Chase (1999-2007) is a gangster genre series which was aired by HBO. The gangster genre is renowned for its male dominated casts to whom storylines are fixated upon. Female characters have been “underrepresented...in fictional life” [2] throughout the history of this genre, they have undertaken passive character roles and been depicted as fetishized objects of the male gaze by the predominantly male directors’and wiriters'. In order to determine whether The Sopranos by David Chase (1999-2007) reinforces the stereotypical representation of women in the contemporary gangster genre it is essential to compare historical texts with The Sopranos.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#ff0000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#ff0000;">Vanity Fair [1]</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#ff0000;">Gaye Tuchman [2]</span>Jashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10138923379043235087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6695646509621867916.post-28197912328511087272008-01-06T17:13:00.000-08:002008-01-13T14:16:50.176-08:00<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:180%;color:#cc0000;"><strong>Essay Plan</strong></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#cc0000;">-Introduction<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="color:#cc0000;">· Outlining the vast popularity of American gangster films, now progressing to series such as The Sopranos by HBO, Brotherhood by FX.<br />· How the director portrays characters through narrative, proppian theory-Gaye Tuchman – women “symbolically annihilated”.<br />· Women in the gangster genre are more and more being portrayed as fetishized objects of the male gaze. A brief outline the change in portrayal of women from past gangster films and contemporary. Reference to films such as Little Ceaser, Scarface 1932/1983 Goodfellas 1990’s-comparison to-The Sopranos.<br />· Directors and writers being Male or representation of women being biased, films being portrayed through male perspective so issues of patriarchy in society.</span> </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="color:#cc0000;">· Seperate paragraph - Add theory of representation and stereotypes (constructed), meaning of stereotypes how they work and purpose ~ audience pleasures also negative impact link to The Sopranos scene; when Dr Melfi’s family are discussing the issues of Italian stereotypes.</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Topics: Topic is Housewives/Mothers<br /></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="color:#ff0000;">· Women such as Carmela is forced undertake the family burden and made to “nurture”- Nature Nurture theory, whilst Tony run runs the organization. The series focuses more on the male characters and the main protagonist forcing the audience to identify with Tony Soprano whether the audience is male or female. The housewives are portrayed as subordinated and are dumb down by the blood money made through killings and extortion.<br />· Carmela is a “central female role in a genre infamous for it s relegation of women as minor characters – in many ways The Sopranos is at its best when looking at Carmela’s complicity in Tony’s criminal world.<br />· Additionally the Grandmother/ Tony’s mother subverts from stereotypical representations women and grandmothers in contemporary society. We as the audience link a grandmother to the ideas of them as sweet, feeble caring and especially a family member who gives money to their grandchildren however key quote from “Introduction to Television Studies by Jonathan Bignell” Grandmother Livia Soprano- “she is in some ways tougher than [Tony] and even contracts a killer to murder [him]”<br />· Theory of Gaye Tuchman from Gauntlet’s - Media Gender & Identity. Women are “Symbolically annihilated” as they are “underrepresented in television fiction life”.<br />· Representations of housewives have altered from historical gangster texts such as Scarface 1932 as women such as Carmela and Tony’s Mother fight back and rebel against suppression and patriarchy, through having money buying their own properties.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#990000;">Topic: Working women </span></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><span style="color:#990000;">· The wave of feminism was a way of liberating female freedom and opportunity for women. Women could work in offices become doctors and so on. Women could make their own money and therefore were not dependant on the male bread winner.<br />· The sopranos, women such as Dr Melfi and Tony Sopranos daughter Meadow are depicted as intelligent independent women either earning money or working respectable job or are in education being paediatricians or lawyers. This shows how society has changed as an odd 50 years ago science and Law would be perceived as a male profession. This just shows the opportunities women have in contemporary society. Quote - Angela, and Joyce, Mark and Rivers, Danny (1999): Advanced Level Media. Great Britain: Hodder & Stoughton Educational“McGuigan employs the concept of chauvinism which is applied to men who show no acknowledgement of the abilities of women””pg11. Dr Melfi is the emotional support for Tony Sopranos who is portrayed as a tough guy persona as made to cry and release his feelings to a women.<br />· “Double burden”- although Dr Melfi is an independent women workin as a psychiatrist she is a single mother who undertakes roles of cooking at home and other domestic stereotypical roles and is a bread winner. This shows that feminism has given more opportunities however women have more work.<br />· Gaye Tuchman-“asserts that those women who were shown to be working were portrayed as incompetents and inferiors, as victims or having trivial interests”. This supports the portrayal of the overly fetishized depictions of the strippers that work at the club and in on scene a secretary who works at Tony’s waste management office whos has sex with him.<br />· Male Backlash in the 90’s The Bada Bing is Symbol of the male backlash in society and a symbol of female annihilation. Women are depicted as the ‘seducer’ or ‘provocateur’.<br />· Talk about narrative theory how female housewives/independent career women/fetishized objects and male characters are positioned in The Sopranos.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#993300;">Topic: Women & guns/sex/sexual & domestic Violence</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#993300;">· Whilst Janice and Richie Aprile are have sex Richie Aprile Puts a gun to Janice’s head as form of sexual empowerment, this enforces the ideologies female repression and patriarchy. The male character feels the Janice is castrated and feels anxiety, so even though Janice is not holding the gun it is pointed at her head resolving the anxiety.<br />· The extensive use of guns in the Sopranos is mostly linked to male characters. However in another case a gun is used as a tool for women’s liberation and freedom. Guns are seen as objects resembling the phallic, relating to the ideologies of male patriarchy and repressors of female freedom. However in Janice Sopranos case with her violent relationship with Richie Aprile the gun is used to kill and penetrate the male character giving the idea of the female penetrating the male.<br />· Tracee is beaten to death on outside next to bin bags and trash and is left dead next to the trash connotes the representation women as Tracee is compared to “white trash” in society and is worthless and demeaning to men. The long shot portrays her life as meaningless as the mise en scene depicts her class in society.<br />· Link to Marxism and social class theory.<br />· Use key quotes from “Violence and the Media” by Cynthia Carter & C. Kay Weaver.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#cc6600;">Topic: Male characters also seen by a female gaze</span><br /><span style="color:#cc6600;"><br />· The Sopranos challenges the ideologies of the series only depicting female objects and enforcing the male gaze as younger male characters such as Jackie Aprile jr and other characters such as Meadow’s previous half Jewish half Afro Caribbean boyfriend, casted by HBO are much more good looking than the older generation of mobsters in The Sopranos.<br />· This enforces Cortese’s theory of society and the media/film industry employing and women wanting good looking men with “muscular bodies”/“perfectly chiselled abs”. This shows that society and the gangster genre has significantly changed as characters such as Scarface chiselled with deformities and scars are no longer appealing to audiences or the film industry.<br />· Also link to advertisements in the media.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#ff6600;">Topic: Historical Gangster Texts and The Sopranos</span><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="color:#ff6600;">· Open with the history of the genre linking to the beginning the change with use of quotes from the Cinema Book.<br />· Discuss the change in women’s roles and representation in the genre through the 20th century leading to The Sopranos. Add historical texts such as Goodfellas (early 90’s), Godfather trilogy, Scareface 1932.</span><br /><span style="color:#ff6600;">· Last bullet point also links to this section - Cortese’s theory of society and the media/film industry employing and women wanting good looking men with “muscular bodies”/“perfectly chiselled abs”...<br />· Texts such as Scarface 1932 portray significant dissimilar issues, debates and society. Women are portrayed as inferior and “more likely than men to be shown as frightened, in need of protection and direction, and offering love and support to the male lead character(s)” from Representation of gender in the past by David Gauntlet.<br />· Women are greatly fetishized in contemporary texts due especially series or other TV programmes due to Ofcom and laws being passed for a higher degree of sexual content to be aired in the late 20th century and 21st century.<br />· Moreover women are portrayed either as housewives or sexual objects rather than independent women with recognisable professions.</span></span><br /><br /></span>Jashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10138923379043235087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6695646509621867916.post-28970848351098209592008-01-06T17:08:00.000-08:002008-01-06T17:13:10.981-08:00<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:180%;color:#990000;"><strong>Historical Text</strong></span><br /><br /><br /><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/yB8K30l95mY&rel=1"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/yB8K30l95mY&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><br /><a href="http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=-674642252626441552&q=scarface+1932&total=15&start=10&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0">http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=-674642252626441552&q=scarface+1932&total=15&start=10&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0</a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff0000;">Scareface 1932<br />Scareface by </span><a title="Howard Hawks" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Hawks"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff0000;">Howard Hawks</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff0000;"> (1932) is a film that depicts the zeitgeist of the period in which the film was mad in. The film depicts the social issues in America, the opening credits of the shows the purpose of the film “The picture is an indictment of gang rule in America and of the callous government to this constantly increasing menace to our safety and our liberty”. The opening credits straightforwardly outlines the problems America faces due to Gang control and violence in the 1930’s. The opening credits suggest the problems the poeple of America faced due to their economical issues, leading to gang crimes and violence.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff0000;"><span style="color:#cc0000;">The film glorifies the idea of being a gangster and enforces the ideologies of good vs evil. Furthermore the female characters are subordinate to the male characters and are mad to be portrayed as female objects of the male gaze and perceived as ‘eye candy’.</span><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff0000;">The male character typically the “decisions which [lead] the story, and [are] assertive, confident and dominant”. The female characters undertook a more stereotypical role, they are “shown as frightened, in need of protection and direction and offering love and support to the male character”. However Scarface’s sister is shown in the final seen to undertake a masculine role subverting from the stereotypical roles of women of the zeitgeist of the film. The film focused on the representations of real life gangsters of the period such as Al Capone.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#cc0000;">The film showcases proppian theory as the police/law is seen as not hero but as good and Mobsters such as Scarface are seen as bad or rebellious to law. Therefore the film demotes the representation of a gangster and the lifestyle it portrays, as the ending of the film depicts the protagonist in its weakest hour as a coward scared of the consequences of his actions. Furthermore the use of low angle shot of Scarface on the stair case leading to his bloody death in the final high angle shot shows the demise of the persona and demise of the glorified gangster lifestyle.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff0000;">Moreover due to the period in which the film was shot the there were strict censorship laws meaning that blood was not actually shown neither were bullet wounds. This shows how the film industry in the 1930’s was technically less advanced. Additionally the strict censorship laws show how the audience are not prepared for bloody or gory scenes in contrast to the 21st century audience who are desensitised with minor killings and bloodshed.<br /> </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#cc6600;">Similarities<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#cc6600;">·Deaths of gang members and gang rivalry.<br />·Stereotypical of Italians as mostly gangsters, however The Sopranos tries to challenge this stereotype.<br />·Women as subordinate characters to the male characters.<br />·Male protagonists who drive the narrative.<br />·The use of women undertaking male roles such as shooting and killing (Scareface’s sister at the end and Tony Sopranos sister Janice killing Richie Aprile). Subverting from the ideologies of women as frightened and nurturers.<br />·Both texts reflect the zeitgeist of the period in which the text is produced in e.g. The Sopranos target key issues such as terrorism or homosexuality.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff6600;">Differences<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff6600;">·The Sopranos has storylines based on the female characters that as well drive some of the narrative.<br />·Female characters in The Sopranos are portrayed as independent career women with respectable professions as well as fetishized objects.</span>Jashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10138923379043235087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6695646509621867916.post-4077797694610715082007-12-16T15:43:00.000-08:002007-12-16T15:48:09.075-08:00<span style="font-size:180%;color:#996633;"><strong>Laura Mulvey's Theory</strong></span><br /><span style="color:#ff9900;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="color:#ff9900;">Mulvey’s study on ‘Visual Pleasures and Narrative Cinema’ argues that the predominantly male audience is positioned to identify with the common male protagonist, the audience create a sense of idealization with the protagonist as the audience seeing a perfect visual portrayal of them enforcing the ideologies of a narcissistic audience and society, imposing the idea of scopophilia. In addition this exemplifies patriarchy as the male protagonist drives the narrative concluding the female character as passive.<br /><br /></span><span style="color:#ff9900;"></span><span style="color:#ff6600;">Moreover, the use of phallic objects by the male characters e.g. guns and swords male dominance, additionally the penis let alone acts as a symbol of power and authority in society. Hence objectifying the passive female due to their sexual depiction as they have no phallic creating penis envy for the very little female audience; creating the audience to recognize them voyeuristically or fethishistically .This therefore makes the male audience unconsciously perceive the female character as castrated enforcing Freud’s theory; imposing the idea of anxiety towards the male audience. Thus, the need for the female characters for a substitute fethisized/phallic objects to reduce the anxiety of the male audience.</span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="color:#993300;"><span style="color:#cc6600;">How the theory could be useful for my independent study:</span><br /></span><br /><span style="color:#993300;">The theory enforces the my studies hypothesis as the majority of the female characters in ‘The Sopranos’ is perceived as a fetishists, reflecting on the patriarchy and the narrative cinema to be driven by a male protagonist. In addition, even though, there are depictions of intelligent independent female characters they are nonetheless dependant on male protagonist’s safety and closure therefore subordinate to the male character.</span></span>Jashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10138923379043235087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6695646509621867916.post-83963796970653313762007-12-13T05:39:00.000-08:002008-12-12T22:42:27.460-08:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD2uavzYH55Z4AOf2urG5gd76j7tVGC6Q59Lldwv96aZBv249J6KAryr7cHporOYD_0TW40Uvjz05VGwW5uB-CSgLpiSqwsA1LC36Yea4vqkBctSLtWlElhhYKu6Szf2uf-HskRkWZhzhV/s1600-h/casinoroyale.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143452659717724050" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD2uavzYH55Z4AOf2urG5gd76j7tVGC6Q59Lldwv96aZBv249J6KAryr7cHporOYD_0TW40Uvjz05VGwW5uB-CSgLpiSqwsA1LC36Yea4vqkBctSLtWlElhhYKu6Szf2uf-HskRkWZhzhV/s400/casinoroyale.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:180%;color:#cc0000;">Casino Royale</span></strong></div><br /><br /><div align="left"><span style="color:#ff0000;">How does the film address a male/ female audience?<br /></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color:#ff0000;"></span> </div><div align="left"><span style="color:#ff0000;"></span> </div><div align="left"><span style="color:#ff0000;">Male<br /></div></span><div align="left"><span style="color:#ff0000;"></span> </div><div align="left"><span style="color:#ff0000;">1. The sequel and the character is one of the most nationalistic films made Britain, appealing to the general British audience.<br /></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color:#ff0000;"> </div></span><div align="left"><span style="color:#ff0000;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color:#ff0000;">2. The genre of Bond films is another aspect that addresses a male audience, the action adventure film appeals to the male audience, as the storyline conforms to proppian theory as Bond is perceived as the hero saving the damsel in distress and the world from terrorism.<br /></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color:#ff0000;"> </div></span><div align="left"><span style="color:#ff0000;">3. Another way the film addresses the male audience, through the progression of technology and stunts, as Bond receives hit-tech gadgets from HQ and stunning and fast cars. Conforming to the ideology of “BOYS AND THEIR TOYS”.<br /></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color:#ff0000;"> </div></span><div align="left"><span style="color:#ff0000;">4. Bond girls are another factor that draws in the male audience as women are sexually objectified and there for the male gaze. In addition the Bond Brand is a ‘symbolic annihilation’ of women – Gaye Tuchman. </span></div><div align="left"><span style="color:#ff0000;"></span> </div><div align="left"><span style="color:#ff0000;"></span> </div><div align="left"><span style="color:#ff0000;">Female </div></span><div align="left"><span style="color:#ff0000;"></span> </div><div align="left"><span style="color:#ff0000;"></span> </div><div align="left"><span style="color:#ff0000;">1. The new and widely acclaimed new Bond, Daniel Craig, appeals to the female audience as he doesn’t conform to the generic Bond representation, tall dark haired, suave broody an actor that exemplifies Pierce Brosnan. Moreover, the scene when Daniel Craig is shot with a long whilst his wet body glimmers on the beach enforces the female gaze and links to Cortese’s theory of males in the film industry needing to have muscular bodies as well as being the provocateur.<br /></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color:#ff0000;"> </div></span><div align="left"><span style="color:#ff0000;">2. Bond films can also be depicted as being a hybrid genre, as romance is of the many genres the film undertakes. Women are compelled to the romance of Bond and the ‘Bond girl’. </span></div><div align="left"><span style="color:#ff0000;"></span> </div><div align="left"><span style="color:#ff0000;"></span> </div><div align="left"><span style="color:#ff0000;">3. In addition, the film undertakes the presentation of female power, as the Bond’s boss is now a female rather that a typical male; conforming to the zeitgeist, sue to feminism giving women the female gender more equality. </span></div>Jashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10138923379043235087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6695646509621867916.post-51424902968773668762007-12-02T12:14:00.000-08:002008-12-12T22:42:28.537-08:00<div align="justify"><br /></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:180%;color:#cc0000;"><span style="color:#33ccff;">3</span> <span style="color:#66cccc;">Print</span> <span style="color:#cc6600;">Advertisements</span></span><span style="color:#cc6600;"> </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#cc6600;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#cc6600;"></span> </div><div align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140850119989745522" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguk6NOHrro-FSnO-zrSr2KvqHJ0fqdE624CUUpvDmgtyNx1HusUIjh6tu8w4e0NPW21BMvUhKaXOXXXjBpKOf_M3V6dBN7tvk6mv02K3bMsJa8lNkVu-FAN52kl_THU_wVdiKR2BmoGlMb/s400/fosters.bmp" border="0" /></div><p></p><p> </p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139499799451752274" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx54dLcvpjKTPOI3dTTTS0e9DJg63cWHl-WX2cxazurT-atwSVtnXBuTAvNN7H1VCC9zQn4st6UAuH8rrJoXOuet_cmiDd4F2WM1eKwWYMLNjZ1C-jjOnGcVuZ5b9-jidDyQBOQL8mSPp-/s400/dg_girl_down.jpg" border="0" /><br /></p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139499563228550978" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ4yxNxzSaw02moKEfwBgUAqCt5z1BPlwNUYBYHKaW5UX9UvprEEO0xCnljqAkhZb9urKA3BjIHRWTOwqNfYeaBRjyftFKBtrrQbGwuH2j4Nu01fbxpkbAgjmtUmNC-HvuZEIbqaw5ZFXT/s400/j'adore.jpg" border="0" /> </p>Jashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10138923379043235087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6695646509621867916.post-1349813075481043622007-11-29T14:50:00.000-08:002007-11-29T16:01:46.452-08:00<span style="color:#cc0000;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><strong>Women in Ads</strong></span><br /><br /><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/rq_Coy3uq7c&rel=1"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/rq_Coy3uq7c&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /></span></span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The clip above is an advertisement of cigerettes in the 1950's, the product is promoted by a female celebrity. This enhances the ideologies of celebrification as society and the target audience are depicted as passive. Moreover the celebrity connotes that some women are independant also the cigerette in her hand portrays her as a sexual object also seen as a mystic femme fatale.<br /><br /><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PmwL6at3bVE&rel=1"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PmwL6at3bVE&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><br />The advert above is from the 21st century it proves that men are also being looked at as well and women, this proves Cortese's theory " todays man has pumped his pecs and shoulders and exhibits well defined abs" also the clip also links to " Baudrillird...[stating] that only women are seducers, but empirical evidence on advertising suggests otherwise. Men, too, are seducers - a male version of the perfect provocateur. This shows that men as well as women are depicted in a provocative way. However the tight revealing clothes and the need of a women to take a drink from the male outline the idea of male dependancy and as a male patriarchal society as they are fed by men.<br /><br /></span></span><a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=fKl0IWTWtes"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#cc0000;">http://youtube.com/watch?v=fKl0IWTWtes</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#cc0000;"><br /><br />Unfortunately the clip cannot be embeded, the advertisement is about toothpaste, the female character is portrayed as a young sexual object of the male character as she is continuously showing her affection and love, this portrays the sexual objectification of women in the 70's. The Clip also reflects on society as women need to look good as well as thier teeth being taken car of.<br /><br /><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/jTHui_SDUtU&rel=1"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jTHui_SDUtU&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#cc0000;">The advertisement makes use of celebrifications as well as stereotyping the women's roles in society as Karry Katona undertakes a nurturer role subverting from the feminist independant ideologies of women in contemporary society. According to Gunter's 'Media, Gender and identity' "women were twice as likely to be seen inside the home" undertaking domestic roles enforcing the patriarchal ideologies of women as nurturers and carers whereas males as the breadwinners.</span><br /><br /><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/FD0rHQu5yWE&rel=1"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FD0rHQu5yWE&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#cc0000;">The females in this lynx advertisement are depicted as primative and shown as sexual objects of the male desire. The clothing emphasises the male gaze, as women are on the screen to fulfill male pleasures and portrayed as fetishists. Moreover the advertisement enforces Cortese's theory of women as the "seducer and provocateur".</span>Jashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10138923379043235087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6695646509621867916.post-85647070812224717192007-11-25T16:32:00.000-08:002007-11-25T16:33:25.878-08:00<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#cc0000;"><strong>Gender in Advertising by David Gauntlett</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">· Friedan’s (1963) critique of women’s magazines runs alongside a similar assessment of advertising; the stereotypes reproduced by the housewife’s journals were the same as those exploited by advertisers.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">· Tuchman’s (1978) argument about ‘the symbolic annihilation’ of women is based on an analysis of advertising as well as other media.</span><br /><br />· Gunter’s (1995) studies show that women in magazine adverts prior to the 1970’s were rarely shown to be in paid work, when they were the depicted a stereotypical role e.g. a smiling secretary.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">· The number of ‘housewife’ images began to decline slowly after the 1950’s but were still common in the 60’s and 70’s.</span><br /><br />· Advertisement’s in the 1970’s found evidence of stereotyping of all ads featuring women; three quarters were for kitchen and bathroom products.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">· Gunter (1995) studies found strong similarities in gender representation from country to country, and particular sexism in adverts aimed at children.</span><br /><br />· Mcdonald (1995) advertisers generally lagged behind women’s magazines in the cultivation of new modes of address, even when the evidence suggested that commercial advantages could be gained from modernising their approach.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">· Mcdonald (1995) – believing both that feminism’s battles had been won, and that its ideology was now harmless by virtue of being out of date, advertisers invented ‘postfeminism’ as a utopia where women could do whatever they pleased, provided they had sufficient will and enthusiasm.</span><br /><br />· Greer - Thirty years ago it was enough to look beautiful; now a woman has to have a tight, toned body. (ibid).<br /><br /></span><span style="color:#ff0000;">· Baudrillard states that only women are seducers, but empirical evidence suggests otherwise. Men too are seducers – a male version of the perfect provocateur. The ideal man in ads is young, handsome, clean-cut, perfect and sexually alluring.</span></span>Jashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10138923379043235087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6695646509621867916.post-34808857279619512902007-11-25T12:09:00.000-08:002007-11-25T13:23:07.166-08:00<strong><span style="color:#cc0000;">Keywords</span></strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;"></span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Femininty - Feminsim fight for their rights and are against male dominance and the patriarchal society. The film of my text follows the theme of femininty.<br /><br />Censorship – the practise exercised by elite groups in authority, of monitoring and controlling the media content by removing, suppressing or classifying elements deemed offensive or subversive for moral, political, religious or in this case social. As in this case The Sopranos has some censored scenes however the show depicts horrific scenes, acts of sexual assaults and death is portrayed.<br /><br />Post-Feminism - Part of the postmodern perspective that takes the achievements of feminism for granted and views it as ineffective due to current condition of women and identity choices they face.<br /><br />Biopic – a film/TV show based on the life story or the biography of a real person, this links to The Sopranos as the show is based on real gangsters in New Jersey.<br /><br />Counter Culture – a subculture that rejects the mainstream values of a society and offers a parallel, alternative way of life. This can be seen in The Sopranos as the gangster families are seen as subculture society that makes its own values and beliefs, gangsters being “Made”.<br /><br />Elite – a small select group in a society which claims leadership privileges as a result of expertise, in terms of knowledge or skill, in a particular field. This relates to the text of my study as the Sopranos crime family are considered or portrayed as the elite in their society as they are feared and empowering.<br /><br />Folk devil – a descriptive term used by sociologist Stan Cohen to describe groups in society which are targeted or demonised by the media as presenting a moral threat and are therefore the focus of moral panic. The whole idea of gangsters as folk devil in America has been introduced for many a years, The Soprano family are portrayed as folk devil in their community as they enforce death and other criminal activities enforcing fear.<br /><br />Gangster - gangster movies represent the myth of America, where the conflict between good and evil is played out in the slums of big cities. The aspirational dreams of gangsters relate to lives of poor.<br /><br />- Concerns about the positive representation of gangsters as ‘folk’ or ‘tragic heroes’ troubled the Hays office, after 1934 studios were forced to insert moral pronouncements condemning the behaviour of gangsters featured in films. However, gangsters remain ‘folk heroes’, particularly within the family saga tradition, e.g. the ‘supportive’ Italian/US extended family of the ‘Goodfather’ trilogy.</span>Jashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10138923379043235087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6695646509621867916.post-44052304284083124142007-11-25T12:05:00.000-08:002007-11-25T12:09:04.068-08:00<strong><span style="color:#993300;">Women In “The Sopranos” and Tony’s affairs </span></strong><br /><br /><a href="http://www.answers.com/carmela%20soprano"><span style="color:#ff6600;">http://www.answers.com/carmela%20soprano</span></a><br /><span style="color:#ff6600;">“Carmela's own efforts to become financially independent have been less successful”... “Carmela's materialistic nature, however, is never far from the surface”.</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/tony-soprano"><span style="color:#cc6600;">http://www.answers.com/topic/tony-soprano</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc6600;">“Tony is frequently unfaithful to his wife. His affairs and one-night stands and his inability to be faithful have been an ongoing source of conflict between Tony and Carmela, leading to a year-long separation. Affairs have included </span><a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/mercedes-benz" target="_top"><span style="color:#cc6600;">Mercedes</span></a><span style="color:#cc6600;"> saleswoman </span><a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/list-of-characters-from-the-sopranos-friends-and-family" target="_top"><span style="color:#cc6600;">Gloria Trillo</span></a><span style="color:#cc6600;"> and Russian dancer </span><a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/list-of-characters-from-the-sopranos-friends-and-family" target="_top"><span style="color:#cc6600;">Irina Peltsin</span></a><span style="color:#cc6600;">. Tony lets his </span><a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/hedonism" target="_top"><span style="color:#cc6600;">hedonistic</span></a><span style="color:#cc6600;"> pursuit’s conflict with his business. He had sex with </span><a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/list-of-characters-from-the-sopranos-friends-and-family" target="_top"><span style="color:#cc6600;">Svetlana Kirilenko</span></a><span style="color:#cc6600;">, </span><a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/junior-soprano" target="_top"><span style="color:#cc6600;">Uncle Junior's</span></a><span style="color:#cc6600;"> nurse and Irina's cousin.” Tony’s numerous affairs symbolise the male backlash in society and the objectification of women.</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/meadow-soprano"><span style="color:#993300;">http://www.answers.com/topic/meadow-soprano</span></a><br /><span style="color:#993300;">“She attended </span><a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/columbia-university" target="_top"><span style="color:#993300;">Columbia University</span></a><span style="color:#993300;">, performed well in her classes after poor first-year performance and volunteered regularly at the South Bronx Law Center. Since her graduation, Meadow has been studying for </span><a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/medical-school-1" target="_top"><span style="color:#993300;">medical school</span></a><span style="color:#993300;"> as she is interested in being a </span><a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/pediatrics" target="_top"><span style="color:#993300;">pediatrician</span></a><span style="color:#993300;">, but is having second thoughts and considering a career in the legal profession”. The character role portrays women’s independence, intelligence in society and pursuing a professional career, conflicted the portrayal of women depend on men in “The Sopranos”.</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.answers.com/dr%20melfi"><span style="color:#ff0000;">http://www.answers.com/dr%20melfi</span></a><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">“Tony Soprano has been able to confide in Melfi many things that he has told no one else... not his associates and certainly not his wife, </span><a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/carmela-soprano" target="_top"><span style="color:#ff0000;">Carmela</span></a><span style="color:#993300;"><span style="color:#ff0000;">”... “He inwardly fears Melfi prying into his life during their sessions, but he also fears the results from not dealing with the problem”. Dr Melfi is depicted as a saviour or a sort of salvation for Tony Soprano, she is contradicts the stereotypical representation of women in society and in the drama.</span><br /><br /></span><strong><span style="color:#993300;">Other Websites<br /></span><br /></strong><strong></strong><a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/the-sopranos?cat=technology"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://www.answers.com/topic/the-sopranos?cat=technology</span></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">This site displays the main idea of the show, themes and characters. The site has seven other links that will help me with my study.<br /></span><br /><a href="http://www.ape-connections.org/exorcisingpatriarchy.htm"><span style="color:#990000;">http://www.ape-connections.org/exorcisingpatriarchy.htm</span></a><br /><span style="color:#993300;"><span style="color:#990000;">“The Death Hold of Patriarchy. Women have made a few advances, a few inroads in the system of patriarchy but so far the system has been able to absorb these advances and often turn the women against ourselves. This is almost inevitable since women are in so few positions of power. The patriarchal system has its “tokens” and “queen bees” and it is learning how to utilize the talents of women (not just the labor) to keep other women in check”. The site is useful to my case study as it explains the theory of the patriarchal society and has in depth information of feminism.</span><br /> </span><br /><a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/masculism"><span style="color:#ff9900;">http://www.answers.com/topic/masculism</span></a><br /><span style="color:#993300;"><span style="color:#ff9900;">The website focuses on masculinity portrayed in the media as well information of the male backlash theory and the wave of feminism affecting traditional society and values.</span><br /></span><br /><a href="http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_causes_someone_to_become_an_abuser"><span style="color:#ff6600;">http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_causes_someone_to_become_an_abuser</span></a><br /><span style="color:#ff6600;">Abuse is bound to be found in patriarchal, narcissistic, or misogynistic collectives. Many societies exhibit cross sections of these three traits. Thus, most patriarchal groups are also misogynistic, either overtly and ideologically so - or covertly and in denial. The site is an article of sexual violence in the media, this relates to my study as women are sexually assaulted.<br /></span><br /><a href="http://www.medialit.org/reading_room/article443.html"><span style="color:#cc6600;">http://www.medialit.org/reading_room/article443.html</span></a><br /><span style="color:#993300;"><span style="color:#cc6600;">This website also focuses on sexual violence displayed in the media; the article focuses mediums such as pornography and advertisements.</span><br /></span><br /><a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/sexual-objectification"><span style="color:#993300;">http://www.answers.com/topic/sexual-objectification</span></a><span style="color:#993300;"><br />“...the sexual objectification of women as one of the main ways in which women are subordinated in a sexist society”. The website focuses on the theory of sexual objectification and effect of it. However the site also focuses on the objectification of men this shows a contrast in contemporary films from the past.</span>Jashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10138923379043235087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6695646509621867916.post-82115019313870975772007-11-22T03:50:00.000-08:002007-11-22T04:18:33.814-08:00<strong><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:180%;color:#cc6600;">Blog Bud Meeting</span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:180%;color:#cc6600;"></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#ff6600;">Over this week me and Saz discussed our independent studies and how they relate. we both are focsuing on gender roles in the media and the hollywood/American meda industry. The books that we both found helpful to each others studies were "violence in the media" and "film thoery", focusing on sexual crimes, objectification of women in the media. furthermore. "Film theory" has a section on "the feminist intervention" and includes many thoeries and theorists, Laura Mulvey, Male Gaze and also displays in depth information of marxism and hierarchical gendered social relataions-patrichal society.</span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#ff6600;"></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:180%;color:#ff9900;">Books exchanged and Studied</span></strong><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:180%;color:#ff9900;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#ff9900;"><strong>I have given Saz the "film Theory" book by Robert Stam as it provides a detailed insoght into feminism and male dominance and male backlash. The book we studied together was "violence in the media" as both our texts focus and crimes against women and their portrayal of sexual objects. Pages 114 to 116 and 127. The book i was given by saz was "the monsterous feminine" the book give indformation of the feminism movement and thoery of specific film texts, this will help me as it shows how women were portrayed in past films.</strong></span>Jashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10138923379043235087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6695646509621867916.post-70333656658347664242007-11-15T05:17:00.000-08:002007-11-15T05:18:57.324-08:00<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff0000;">Representations of gender today<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff0000;">· During the 1990’s and into the new century, gender roles on television became increasingly equal and non-stereotyped, although the majority of lead characters were still made.<br /><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">· In 1992- 1993, men took 61 percent of the total number f speaking roles, women have the other 39 percent.<br /><br />· Studies show that small number of the major characters were female – just 18 percent.<br /><br />· A significant decrease from the 1970’s; only 3 percent of women were represented as housewives as their main occupation.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#990000;">· Women were free from family and work place pressures (Elasmar, Hasegawa and Brain, 1999:33).<br /><br />· Some shows put successful professional women at the forefront, and are focused on their quests for sex, pleasures and romantic love, e.g. sex and the city.<br /><br />· Buffy the vampire slayer; the character is more powerful and heroic, Buffy is more confident and assertive, depicting women in society.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#cc6600;">· Representations of gender on TV have changed considerably within the past decades, today female and male characters are likely to be as intelligent, talented and resourceful, and there is equality.<br /><br />· Nevertheless, many conventions of masculinity and femininity remain; men continue to dominate certain areas e.g. BBC’s coverage of the 2001 general election was led by authoritative, middle aged white male.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#ff6600;">· Maggie Humm – Film... often anxiously envisions women stereotypically as ‘good’ mother or ‘bad’, hysterical careerists, (1997).<br /><br />· There are many films that depict ‘girl power’ and female heroes, X-Men, The Matrix, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Tomb Raider.</span></span><span style="color:#ff6600;"> </span>Jashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10138923379043235087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6695646509621867916.post-10590308963727136442007-11-13T01:11:00.000-08:002007-11-13T01:14:23.656-08:00<span style="font-size:130%;color:#cc0000;"><strong>Gender and Identity<br /></strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;color:#ff0000;"><strong>Representation Of Gender In The Past – Key points<br /></strong></span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#cc0000;">Men and Women on TV</span></strong><br /></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff0000;">· In the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s, there were only 35 percent of female character roles on TV<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff0000;">· Mid 1980’s there was a substantial increase of women in leading roles; however there were twice as many men on screen.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff0000;">· In 1975, Miles found out that comedy situations had equal proportions of men and women, although the gender roles and the humour could still be traditional and sexist.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff0000;">· Furthermore, in 1987 a study found female characters to be most common in comedy programmes (43 percent).<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff0000;">· Despite these statistical parity – whereas in action adventure shows, only 15 percent of the leading character where women.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff0000;">· A study by McNeil (1975) concluded that women’s movement had been largely ignored by television. With married housewives being the main female role portrayed.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff0000;">· Further more studies in the 1970’s found that men to be the dominant characters and the decision makers on TV.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff0000;">· Women were more likely to be passive; men were more likely to be adventurous, active and victorious, whereas women were more frequently portrayed as weak, ineffectual, victimised, supportive and laughable.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;color:#cc0000;"><strong>Women and Men in Movies</strong></span><br /></span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">· In the 1950’s films “Angry Men” almost always focused on male heroes, men typically made the decisions which led the story and narrative, they were also assertive and dominant.<br /></span><br /></span><span style="color:#ff0000;"></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff0000;">· However women had roles that were likely to depict them as frightened, in need of protection and direction.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff0000;">· In the 70’s the there was a backlash at the typical representation of women as Leia from Star Wars is depicted as a princess, top of the social hierarchy.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff0000;">· 1990’s – Kathi Maio noted ‘strong, victorious women exist in film, just not often enough, and generally not in movies that get much play’. Susan Faludi went a step further by saying women were being ‘reduced to mute and incidental characters or banished altogether’, with particular reference to Predator (1987) and Lethal Weapon (1987).<br /></span>Jashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10138923379043235087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6695646509621867916.post-86421877554333447472007-11-11T11:52:00.000-08:002007-11-11T14:33:31.877-08:00<strong><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:180%;color:#cc0000;">Book Bibliography</span></strong><strong><span style="font-size:180%;color:#cc0000;"></span></strong><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff0000;">1) <strong>Reading The Sopranos (2007) by </strong></span><a href="javascript:doAuthorSearch("><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff0000;"><strong>David</strong></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff0000;"><strong> Lavery</strong> - This book explores how "The Sopranos" has rewritten the rules of television drama and changed attitudes about television itself. Contributors present fresh perspectives on psychotherapy and dreams; racism and the Italian-American community; Carmela and post-feminism. the book will be useful to my study as there is a section thatfocuses on women representations and thier power.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff6600;">2) <strong>Violence an the Media (2003) by </strong></span><a href="javascript:doAuthorSearch("><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff6600;"><strong>Cynthia Carter</strong></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff6600;"><strong>, </strong></span><a href="javascript:doAuthorSearch("><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff6600;"><strong>C.Kay Weaver</strong></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff6600;"> - "Violence and the Media" is a introduction to current issues about media violence and its potential influence on audiences. Carter and Weaver engage with a host of pressing issues around violence in different media contexts - including news, film, television, pornography, advertising and cyberspace. Also it coverskey points such as desensitization and victims of violence such as women.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff9900;">3) <strong>Film Thoery An Introduction (1999) by </strong></span><a href="javascript:doAuthorSearch("><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff9900;"><strong>Robert Stam</strong></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff9900;"> -It examines issues common to both subjects such as realism, narration, point of view, style, semiotics, Feminism and The Feminist Intervention and multiculturalism. It also includes coverage of theorists common to both, Barthes, Lacan and Bakhtin among others such as Laura Mulvey and thoeries such as the Male Gaze.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff0000;">4) <strong>Feminist Theorists (1983) by by </strong></span><a href="javascript:doAuthorSearch("><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff0000;"><strong>Dale Spender</strong></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff0000;"> - The book focuses on theory and thoerists around the 80's and even back to the late 1600's E.g. Mary Astell. This will aid my study as this book focuses on the historical side of SHEP.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff6600;">5) <strong>The meaning of wife(2004) by </strong></span><a href="javascript:doAuthorSearch("><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff6600;"><strong>Anne Kingston</strong></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff6600;"> - Canadian journalist and social commentator Anne Kingston provides a fresh perspective on the role and how it affects the perception of women. This book: Explains the alternating currents of 'wifelash' and 'wifelust' Introduces the concept of the 'wife gap' that emerged in the wake of the twentieth-century women's movement Analyses the married woman's relationship to female power, sexuality and worth. The book will greatly coinside with my study as i will be looking at the representation of houswives such as Carmela as well as fetishists. It will outline the representation of houswives and the social issues.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff9900;">6) <strong>Race and Gender (1985) by Madeleine Arno</strong> - The book outlines the representations of women as well as racial issues, additionally it contains theories. The book is the contains indepth on these to key social issues in society; coveing one aspect of SHEP.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#ff9900;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#ff9900;"><span style="color:#ff0000;">7) <strong>Media Studies: The Essential Introduction (2001) by Phillip Rayner, Peter Wall and Steohen - Krugar</strong> -</span> <span style="color:#ff0000;">Explains the media concepts, cultural terms and theoretical perspectives. The book offers deeper insights to representation and gender also it looks in more depth with media theories and debates.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><span style="color:#ff6600;">8) <strong>The Media Student's Book (2003) by </strong></span><a href="javascript:doAuthorSearch("><span style="color:#ff6600;"><strong>Gill Branston</strong></span></a><span style="color:#ff6600;"><strong>, </strong></span><a href="javascript:doAuthorSearch("><span style="color:#ff6600;"><strong>Roy Stafford</strong></span></a><span style="color:#ff6600;"><span style="color:#ff6600;"> - The chapters of the book are supported by case studies which cover every key topic in the area. The book is divided into four parts studying key concepts; media practices; media debates; and provides resources in the final reference section also definitions, references and thoeries. This will help my study as</span> it focuses on representations and stereotypes also it contains many theories and key terms.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#ff6600;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><span style="color:#ff9900;">9) <strong>Media, Gender and Identity: An Introduction (2002) by </strong></span><a href="javascript:doAuthorSearch("><span style="color:#ff9900;"><strong>David Gauntlett</strong></span></a><span style="color:#ff9900;"> - It provides an in depth look into the different ways in which gender and identity and focuses on the media's influence on gender and sexuality. David Gauntlett explores the gender of contemporary media and draws on recent theories of gender and identity. This is one book in particular is relevant to my study as it outlines key theorists and theories and looks into SHEP.</span></span>Jashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10138923379043235087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6695646509621867916.post-36175918633281431022007-11-04T14:39:00.000-08:002007-11-04T15:19:12.514-08:00<span style="color:#ff6600;"><strong><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:180%;">Blog Buddy</span></strong><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff0000;"><strong>Vivek's study is on "female representation in football"-</strong></span><a href="http://www.sportsrep-vivek.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">www.sportsrep-vivek.blogspot.com</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#cc0000;"><strong>Vivek's and my independent study are both very similar as we both are researching and writing about female reperesentation within the media. Therefore we are likely to talk about similar issues, theories and look at similar ideologies. We both hence are likely to look at similar research and can discuss our findings with eachother.</strong></span><br /><br /><strong><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="color:#ff6666;">Vivek's blog incorperates good delicious tags </span><span style="color:#ff6666;">in his blog and useful keywords relating to representation of women in the media, additionally we can both learn more about the way women are represented in the media from each others blogs, thorugh textual analysis.</span></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#ff6666;"></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff0000;"></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff0000;">Saz's study is on the Representation of Women in "Sin City"- <a href="http://sincity666.blogspot.com/">http://sincity666.blogspot.com/</a></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#ff0000;"></span></strong><br /><span style="color:#ff9900;"><span style="color:#cc6600;"><strong><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Saz's independant study is similar to my study as we are both research on the representation, additionally i think that the character roles of the women in boh of our texts are pretty similar (The Sopranos - strippers and whores wnforcing male gaze and mulvey's theory) (Sin City - Prostitutes and Pimps). Therefore i think we will work good together as we are researching same or silmilar thoerists meaning it will benefit us both if one of us finds some interesting research.</span></strong> </span></span><br /><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff9900;"><strong>An interesting point we both will hope to overcome in our studies are that of the 'Madonna Vs. Whore' debate. Women are not always portrayed to the audience as "eye candy" or "Fetsist", in both our texts there is evidence of both Madonnas and Fetishists which enforce the issues of a patriachal society and the male backlash however some female charatcer roles counter act this debate.</strong></span></p><p><span style="color:#ff9966;"><strong><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Moreoever Saz has good textual analysis on his blog and also his delicioustags are relevant to my study.</span></strong> </span><br /></p><strong><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#ff6666;"></span></strong>Jashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10138923379043235087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6695646509621867916.post-83061095400503089022007-10-19T02:52:00.000-07:002007-10-19T02:53:42.307-07:00<span style="color:#ff0000;">Attainment – B, I think I have worked for a b as I have analysed and research for my blog and my h/w is to a good standard.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Effort – 2, work hard on my homework, but could make more contribution in lessons.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Punctuality – 1, I’ve been coming to lesson and haven’t been absent so far.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Submission and quality of homework – 2, always handed my homework on time but could make it more detailed.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Ability to work independently – 2, I work well independently when work set, could do a bit more self directed research.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Quality of writing – 2, I write good and detailed analyse texts well.<br />Organisation of Media folder – 3, I need to sort that out a bit.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Oral contributions in class – 3, could make more contribution in lessons, when i do contribute its mind altering stuff.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Standard of Module 5 blog – 3, looks sick, have a lot of visual texts, but need to add more posts.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Standard of Module 6 blog – 2, I’ve done a not a lot of research but to a good standard and the research I have found is really good, also lots of visual analysis.</span>Jashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10138923379043235087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6695646509621867916.post-52751543582825942702007-10-18T15:45:00.000-07:002007-10-18T16:02:32.632-07:00<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#cc0000;">Self directed research</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#cc0000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#cc0000;">delicious tags-</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#cc0000;"></span><br /><a href="http://www.genderit.org/en/index.shtml?w=a&x=91365"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">http://www.genderit.org/en/index.shtml?w=a&x=91365</span></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#cc0000;">Consistently throughout Asia, women have been portrayed in the media as victims, subservient, nurturing, sacrificing and objectified sexualised beings. This not only inaccurately represents the diversity of women’s lives, roles and experiences within this complex and rich region, women’s contributions to the socio-political and economic development of society are often neglected. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#cc0000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#cc0000;">The perpetuation of stereotypes in images and representation solidifies women’s traditional roles and unequal gender relations in multiple ways. Most visibly, women are seen as mourners at tragedies or as victims of violence. </span><a title="Media Watch" href="http://www.mediawatch.ca/research/gmmp/Default.asp?pg=4&language=English" target=""><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#cc0000;">The Global Media Monitoring Project</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="color:#cc0000;"> mentioned above found that out of the small number of women who were interviewees in news stories (14%), 29% of them were as victims of accidents, crimes or other events .This does not only represent women as helpless subjects without agency, it also fails to emphasise men’s role as perpetrators in instances of violence against women. Further, the dissemination of these messages affects women’s self-confidence, mobility and subsequently access and participation in public spaces (for fear of assault).</span> </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><a href="http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/stereotyping/women_and_girls/women_coverage.cfm"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/stereotyping/women_and_girls/women_coverage.cfm</span></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#990000;">Female athletes are increasingly photographed in what Professor Pat Griffin calls "hyper-sexualized poses." Griffin notes, "When it was once enough to feminize women athletes, now it is necessary to sexualize them for men. Instead of hearing, 'I am woman, hear me roar,' we are hearing 'I am hetero-sexy, watch me strip.'</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#990000;"></span><br /><a href="http://www.medialit.org/focus/ster1_articles.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">http://www.medialit.org/focus/ster1_articles.html</span></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="color:#ff6600;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We now know that rape is not an act of passion; it is an act of aggression in order to show domination. Are the images and lyrics of women chained, beaten and raped a media expression of a deep cultural need to dominate women, to keep them in their place? Are these images simply the overt expression of the psychological violence against women that we have tolerated for so long?<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">If so, the problem we face is much deeper than censorship, artistic integrity or our freedom of speech as guaranteed in the Constitution. It is the problem of facing the profound misogyny within our culture, within ourselves and even within religious traditions. We need to realize the ''fun" has never just been fun and begin the arduous task of personal conversion, cultural conversion and institutional conversion. When our cultural values change, so will our media.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#ff6666;"></span><br /><a href="http://www.barnard.edu/sfonline/hbo/johnson_01.htm"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#cc0000;">http://www.barnard.edu/sfonline/hbo/johnson_01.htm</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"><br /></span><span style="color:#ff6666;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff6666;">In a gesture of solidarity with sex workers, the episode encourages the audience to sympathize with Tracee, as we see her humiliated and hurt in a thousand small ways before the scene of her death. She tries to show Tony her braces and is reprimanded by Silvio for fraternizing. She offers a kiss to Ralphie and he turns away, making rude remarks about what she's been doing with her mouth. She says "hi" to Tony with a huge smile, but he waves her away and goes into another room with another stripper. Standing there in her too-tight tomato-red dress, hair swept up in an approximation of classiness and elegance, she has that look of gangly girls in six-inch heels for the first time. With this shot, the stripper is transformed into wallflower. The usual catty attitude among women toward exotic dancers (based on distorted fantasies of the stripper as blonde bombshell, a jealousy that implicitly condones violence against sex workers who are regarded as getting what they deserve) is undermined as the camera lingers on Tracee's disappointed face and awkward retreat. She becomes someone we recognize, someone we can identify with, someone we have perhaps been.</span>Jashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10138923379043235087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6695646509621867916.post-92226872311922622702007-10-18T14:28:00.000-07:002007-10-18T15:40:20.259-07:00<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:180%;color:#cc0000;">keywords</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:180%;color:#cc0000;"></span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Action code - a narrative structure based on a dramatic sequence of events, often leading to a violent resolution. In ‘The Sopranos’ there are many problems that resolved through murders and violence as “Tracee” and other women and men, like Ralph Ciferetto. </span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;"></span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Anti-hero – the protagonist in a narrative who lacks the qualities of an archetypal hero but nevertheless attracts the sympathy and support of the audience or reader. In the sopranos Tony Soprano is the anti-hero as when Tracee is killed he takes up the responsibility of confronting Ralph and beating him, his own foot soldier. </span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;"></span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Big close up – a close up camera shot, particularly of an actor’s face, showing prominent detail and facial expression as a means of creating intimacy and audience engagement with the thoughts and the emotions of the character. Big close ups are often used in the sopranos as it depicts the angry emotions of characters such as Ralph or Tony Soprano, when at the psychiatrist or beating his gumar. </span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;"></span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Connotation – a meaning attributable to an image beyond the obvious denotation level. Such meanings may be metaphorical, symbolical or culturally generated and will vary in line with the cultural background and attitudes, beliefs and values of the individual viewing the material. There are many connotations in the sopranos of the mise en scene such aspects as props and costumes.</span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;"></span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Construction – the process by the creation of all media texts. All texts are the product of decisions relating to selection and are constrained and defined by the criteria used for that purpose, the choice available, and the order in which the elements are combined. The text is constructed in certain ways to connote meanings to the audience for example Carmela cut off the scene when having oral sex, connoting patriarchal dominance.</span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;"></span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Channel 4 – independent commercial television channel established in 1982 under the independent broadcasting authority. Channel 4 developed a reputation for cutting edge and challenging programming, often drawing criticism from television watchdog groups such as mediawatch. Additionally channel 4 is funded by advertising companies, so they can broadcast shows and dramas such as the sopranos. The channel is known for broadcasting documentaries and American dramas.</span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;"></span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Denotation – the first and the simplest level of meaning of an image, e.g. the mise en scene in the scene when Tracee is beaten to death there is trash connoting white trailer park trash, or wearing a revealing dress.</span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;"></span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Feminism – political movement to advance the status of women by challenging values, social constructions and socioeconomic practices which disadvantage women and favour men. The movement emerged from the liberation culture of the 1960’s, although individual feminists argued for women’s rights from a much earlier time. Characters such as Carmela and DR. Melfi are enforcing the ideologies of strong and independent.</span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;"></span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Marxist feminism – a feminist perspective which sees capitalism as the principal source of gender inequalities. In a capitalist class hierarchy, women are seen as being subordinate to men and serving the male workforce in terms of low-paid, low status employment and unpaid domestic labour. Domestic violence against women is seen to be the result of powerless male workforce exercising its frustration on the female sex rather than directing it at the class system. In the sopranos the housewives have no work so are not paid and the strippers are at the bottom of the social hierarchy due to their job.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:180%;color:#cc0000;"></span>Jashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10138923379043235087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6695646509621867916.post-3554785811905390502007-10-14T15:33:00.000-07:002007-10-14T15:51:57.816-07:00<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:180%;color:#990000;"><strong>Task 6</strong></span><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:180%;color:#990000;"></span></strong><br /><br /><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/rdrs0qqPU9M"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/rdrs0qqPU9M" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">The scene above begins with a stripper asking to work in the V.I.P. section, she immediately sexually objectified by a man as she has to pay to work in room that will earn her more money additionally the she has to give a “blowjob”. The man acts as a “gate keeper” and it his choice to lets her in the room or not, this exemplifies the inferiority of the women in “The Bada Bing”. The dancer at the door is subjected to undertake a role that does not push or make a difference to the storyline and make no effect to the narrative structure.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">Moreover in the scene Tracee is dressed in a tight, revealing dress, the red dress connotes women as impure and reinforces the ideologies of “white trash”. The mise en scene used in the scene imposes Laura Mulvey’s theory of the male gaze as the archetype stripper characters the male audience’s sexual fantasies and desires. Additionally the non diegetic sound parallels the scene to the audience and creates male dominant atmosphere.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">Furthermore the strip club “The Bada Bing” is a symbol of male backlash as the place is made for men to fulfil their sexual desires, the club acts as place for anti-feminists as women are treated and portrayed as sex objects. The club shapes the patriarchal order in society and acts as microcosm of male dominance in the macrocosm world.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">“Don’t kiss me, how many cocks you suck tonight”, Tracee is treated like a sex object and is seen as a woman whose only reason in life is to fulfil male pleasure. This implies that the phallic is a symbol of male dominance over women and are treated as sexual object only in the drama for the male gaze and pleasure and not to drive the narrative. Additionally Ralph slaps her back side; this enforces the ideologies of women as possessions and reinforcing the views of patriarchal order. The character of Tracee is dehumanised as she is treated as a sexual object.<br />Furthermore outside the club there is a confrontation between Ralph and Tracee, Ralph beats up Tracee “does it make you feel like a man”, the quote exemplifies issues in society as women are beaten up to make the male gender feel powerful and dominant also the use of the phallic in the programme enforces patriarchal order in society. </span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;"></span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">Furthermore the scene uses close ups on the Ralph when Tracee is beaten up to death to exemplify his facial expressions. There are fewer shots of Tracee facial expressions, she is cut off the screen, and the scene is constructed to only depict Ralph’s emotions. This implicates to the audience that she is inferior, is of no importance and does not drive the narrative cycle. Moreover the scene incorporates low angle shots to portray male dominance in the scene, Tracee is depicted as vulnerable and weak sue to the high angle shots towards her. Tracee's status representation of whore seems to make her vulnerable to attack and is less deserving of safety and sexual freedom because she’s a stripper. Additionally the low key lighting connote danger and vulnerable atmosphere, the low key lighting sets the aerie atmosphere and fulfil the expectations of the audience.<br /><br /></span><span style="color:#cc0000;"></span><span style="color:#cc0000;">There are no traditional narrative roles in the scene as Propps theory defied, Ralph undertakes the role of the villain however every mob member takes the role of an anti-hero or a villain, however Tracee cannot relate to a specific role as she is depicted as a whore by the audience and her character is mediated in this way buy the director. The audience is only left to sympathise for Tracee’s.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">The director is a male, meaning the show is mediated in a male’s perspective, reinforces Mulvey’s theory of the media reflected and shaped patriarchal order, which can also be because of the director.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">Moreover Tracee is beaten to death on outside next to bin bags and trash and is left dead next to, the trash connotes the representation women as Tracee is compared to “white trash” in society and is worthless and demeaning to men. The long shot portrays her life as meaningless as the mise en scene depicts her class</span> in society.Jashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10138923379043235087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6695646509621867916.post-58670571724975301422007-10-11T02:39:00.000-07:002007-10-11T02:42:57.896-07:00<strong><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff6666;">Much has been made of the ‘new’ postmodern breed of magazines, from lads’ mags to celebrity glossies with their tongue-in-cheek versions of the conventional gender roles; but how far do our current lifestyle mags really challenge the well-worn stereotypes they claim to undermine?</span></strong><br /><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The new breed of magazines presents women in a stereotypical manner as magazine editors believe that sex sells. Magazines such as Loaded and Nuts portray women in a demeaning way; these magazines enforce the ideologies of sex sells and the male gaze. In addition men’s lifestyle magazines have also accepted the fact that sexually objectified women sell more magazines.<br /></span><br /></span><span style="color:#cc0000;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">“Loaded has become increasingly more pornographic in its content; as such it has increased the use of female stereotypes, namely as sex objects”. Women on the front cover are depicted nude and with their bodily assets on display. Additionally they are positioned in with long shots and mostly high angle shots and highlighted in vibrant high key colours on magazines. This to portray them as sexual objects and inferior to men and make the women stand out on front covers and inside the magazine, suggesting they are only put on the magazine to be looked emphasising Laura Mulvey’s theory of the male gaze.<br /></span><br /></span><span style="color:#cc0000;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Moreover, Nuts have also stylised their magazine similarly to Loaded and other competitors such as Zoo magazine and FHM around sexually objectified women in order to attract the male target audience. In addition the women are also positioned in a sexually demeaning manner; also the price of the magazine can vary from only 60p to 0ver a £1. This connotes that women are meaningless and emphasises the patriarchal order in society. The women are dehumanised as only parts of their bodily features are mostly shown to the audience, and enforcing the idea of that women are to be looked at and have no physical or emotional feelings. Furthermore, the ways the women are depicted in Nuts magazine are stereotyped as sex objects, fulfilling the audience’s chauvinistic dream, women depicted with good looks and no brains. Additionally the use of red in the magazine is highly emphasised as women are wearing red tops or make-up and also the mast head being red. The red connotes the sexual connotations and the impurity of women, making the male audience treating women as fetishist.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Both Loaded and Nuts magazine impose the stereotypical views of women, the magazines both portray the ideologies of a patriarchal order as women are depicted as sexually demeaning and dehumanized. The magazine implements the male gaze and Mulvey’s theory as she viewed the practice of the camera lingering on women's bodies as evidence that women were being viewed as sex subjects for the gratification of men.</span></span>Jashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10138923379043235087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6695646509621867916.post-74477555066882558572007-10-10T14:27:00.000-07:002007-10-10T15:39:13.432-07:00<span style="font-size:180%;color:#cc0000;"><strong>Keywords </strong></span><br /><strong><span style="font-size:180%;color:#cc0000;"></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">Archetype-</span><span style="color:#990000;"> An often repeated character type or representation which is instantly recognisable to an audience.</span></strong><br /><strong><span style="color:#990000;"></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">Cliff Hanger- </span><span style="color:#990000;">A television or radio soap opera episode which ends with an unresolved dilemma or crisis in order to encourage the viewer or listener to tune in to the next episode.</span></strong><br /><strong><span style="color:#990000;"></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">Continuity editing-</span><span style="color:#990000;"> An editing tyle that aims to present the txt in a linear and chronological manner toemphasise the real-time movement to the narrative and to create a sense of realism for the viewer by giving the impression of continuous filming.</span></strong><br /><strong><span style="color:#990000;"></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">Disequilibrium-</span><span style="color:#990000;"> The disruption of narrative by persons or events presenting a challenge to the equilibrium often found at the beginning of a media text.</span></strong><br /><strong><span style="color:#990000;"></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">Dominant ideology- </span><span style="color:#990000;">The beleif system that serves the interests of the dominant ruling elite within a society, generally accepted as common sense by the majority and reproduced in mainstream media texts.</span></strong><br /><strong><span style="color:#990000;"></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">False consciousness- </span><span style="color:#990000;">Marxist term for the effect of dominant ideology on the awareness of workers with regard to their real economic and social circumstances. Marxists argue that workers are manipulated by institutions, such as the education system, organised religion or work/class system.</span></strong><br /><strong><span style="color:#990000;"></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">Male gaze-</span><span style="color:#990000;"> Term used by Laura Mulvey in her essay 'visual pleasures and narrative cinema' (1975) to describe what she saw as the male point of view adopted by the camera for the benefit of an assumed audience. </span></strong><br /><strong><span style="color:#990000;"></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="color:#990000;">Mulvey viewed the practice of the camera lingering on women's bodies as evidence that women were being viewed as sex subjects for the gratification of men. She argued that the central active characters in films are maleand that the male audience indentifies with them in their viewing of the passive females. Women in the audience are also positioned by the narrative to identify with the male gaze and see the world throught male eyes.</span></strong><br /><strong><span style="color:#990000;"></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">Patriachy-</span><span style="color:#990000;"> Male domination of the political, cultural and socioeconomic system. Under patriachy, male perspectives and male achievements are valued and rewarded at the expense of the female. female contributions to society are ignored and women are culturally and economically invisible, being defined solely by their relation to men.</span></strong><br /><strong><span style="color:#990000;"></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">Sexist- </span><span style="color:#990000;">Representations that discriminate on the basis of sex, especially against women, which is seen to derive from and sustain patriachy. Some feminists would see any media represenatation of women that confirmed a stereotype as sexist, for example, the display of women'sbodies as sex objects in 'lads mags' or other media texts, this is for the entertainment of men.</span></strong><br /><strong><span style="color:#990000;"></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">Stock character- </span><span style="color:#990000;">A stereotypical, predictable minor charcter for example strippers in "the bada bing".</span></strong>Jashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10138923379043235087noreply@blogger.com0