Gurinder Chadha’s film Bend It Like Beckham is a movie that exhibits the cultural clashes that occur between western culture and Indian culture. The protagonist of the film is an 18-year-old daughter of Punjabi Sikhs in London. Jess is enamored with football but is prevented to play by her parents because she is a girl. She joins a local soccer team and makes it to the top of her league. The main character struggles with making decisions due to the moral relativism of gender roles and reverence of elders without trying to upset those who hold certain values to be true. The role of women is seen very differently in every society making gender roles distinct in every culture but relative to the values of each society. In the film, moral relativity …show more content…
For instance, although every culture has established their own gender roles for men and women, each of those roles are informed by values that can be specific to a nation, religion, region, or even a family. In the case of the film Bend It Like Beckham, one can make the case that in western culture and Indian culture it is true that women are generally seen as the ones who are to be homemakers but the cultures are different enough to make it socially unacceptable for Punjabi women to participate in sports. In the case of Jess, being part of a sports team did not only have a social cost, but it created serious conflict with her elders. The protagonist would be met with phrases such as, “Behave like a proper woman” and “Indian girls aren’t supposed to play football” by many of her Indian elders, siblings, and relatives. Jess’s British counterparts faced no social repercussions for belonging to a female soccer team with their parents. On the contrary, many of them would explain that their parents encouraged them to participate in sports. For the British girls, being on a soccer team did not necessarily prevent them from getting married with men that they were interested in. Even though gender roles are generally seen as having large similarities, they are informed by certain moral values that
In Bend It Like Beckham, it showed a girl who idealizes playing soccer. However, with her being a Punjabi Sikh Indian from Hounslow in west London her parents forbidden her to play because of the solo fact that she was a girl. In America girls playing a sport has become more of a norm and are
Another important factor that plays a significant role in shaping identity and individuality is the solid connection between a family. It establishes the cultural environment in which one will shape their ideas of self through the effect of self-confidence, encouragement, approval, and acceptance. The director verifies this point by substantiating a scene from Bend it like Beckham with an account to dialogue as Jess confesses her love for football followed by mid-shot as she reveals her victory for her winning team. Jess’s mother isn't pleased about her daughter going all the way to America whereas her father conveys a different reaction her traditionally minded wife. The director manifests with relevance to Non-diegetic sounds about Mr. Bhamras concerns for Jess as a reflection of his own experiences of racism and rejection when he tried to join a white cricket team. He realises that time has changed and that the culture his daughter lives in is very different from the one he grew up in. Overall, a family is like a coat of armour protecting their children, safeguarding them from all that would
Jess has the desire to play soccer, but her parents want her to conform to Indian traditions. Once Jess earns a place on a women’s soccer team, she is encouraged by her new found teammates to continue to defy her parent’s wishes for a chance to play with them. She starts playing on their team after Jules, one of the players, complements and urges her to play on a team most well known for their competitiveness and multiple accomplishments in the soccer world, for example winning the tournament in Europe. This decision goes against Jess’ family obligations in that it subjects her to being immodest and straying away from a traditional women’s role in Indian society. Jess’ mother wishes for her to adhere to Indian traditions in that she prospers into a good Indian wife, instead of playing a game most often looked upon as a boy’s sport. Furthermore, she tells her daughter to stop continuing on with her ongoing rebellions and resorts to forcing Jess to learn to cook good Indian meals and wear
Gender roles are developed in the overall spectrum throughout society. This is often developed by children and guided by society by through approval and disapproval of certain actions. This includes actions such as society telling boys that playing with dolls is “girly” (CH. 10.). Society develops these roles, and people that break them are often seen as different and outsiders. These also develop in the society of sport, where values have been traditionally associated with males. As men often did studies with sports, there was
Overall, ‘Bend it like Beckham’ was an inspiring and comical film of the conflicts that arise in the clash of culture versus family/culture. Many themes were presented within the film such as wanting is will. This theme is explained with the constant perseverance of Jess, where she set a dream for herself and never gave up, in the end accomplishing what she dreamed for; her goal. Another theme explored was that of, your parents don’t always know what’s best for you. Times
In the films Bend It Like Beckham and My Big Fat Greek Wedding, two very different folk cultures are shown. Due to the culture and traditions of the protagonists, there are some significant gender conflicts, as well as conflicts with popular culture. Both Jess, the main character of Bend It Like Beckham, and Toula in My Big Fat Greek Wedding want to have experiences that the do not agree with the ways of their families. With these differing views, there are high tensions between family and friends, and some secrets are kept. Throughout the films, the effects of folk culture on young adults in a modern society are demonstrated.
In present day all around the world, society has certain expectations for the actions and behaviors of males and females. There are many factors in our everyday lives that contribute to the gender norms that society has set. This essay will discuss how situations in life can play a part in how people treat other people based on their gender. It is believed that males are the leaders of our world, but in present day woman can do as much as men can do. From The Journal of Marriage and Family, Hu states, “Differentiated gender roles in adulthood are rooted in one’s gender role socialization. In order to understand the persistence of gender inequalities in the domestic sphere, we need to examine the gendered patterns of children’s housework time.”(2015, P.1). Gender roles are society’s expectations of the proper behavior, attitudes, and activities of males and females that they must be taught. These roles define how females and males are viewed in society, their household, and workplace. In The Journal of Sports behavior by Hardin, he states, “Although gender role differences from biological and “Natural” exists in popular consciousness, research has long demonstrated that instead, many are long time socially constructed… Individuals understand their gender because they are given names and treated in particular ways, such as dress in pink for girls and blue for boys, that reflect social construction of gender. Bandura's social cognitive theory is key in understanding the factors in socialization”(2009, P.3). Bandura's theory of of social cognition is that behavior, environmental events, and cognitive factors are the main keys that shape attitudes and actions of an individual. Although, gender roles play a very big part in our society, specific genders are treated differently while dealing with peer influence, media influence, as well as employment.
Conflict of Cultures in the film Bend It Like Beckham Gurinder Chada creates conflict of cultures in various different ways in the film Bend It Like Beckham. Gurinder Chada uses techniques such as accents in the voice, contrasts, stereotypes, sarcasm, characterization and juxtaposition of British and Indian cultures which creates humour. This creates a film that attracts the attention of the audience and keeps them interested in the storyline. In the film Bend It Like Beckham a young female Indian footballer hopes that one day she will be able to become a professional footballer and play for her country.
For this assignment, to make an intersectional analysis I decided to watch a movie. After searching and thinking for a while I picked the movie Bend it Like Beckham, since a lot of elements in this movie are applicable on my own life and I really could relate to one of the characters in the movie. As the title of the movie already implies, it is about football and takes place in England. Jesminder is a Sikh, Indian girl from a very traditional Indian family. She is not interested in fashion, boys and her looks; the only thing she is interested in is football. One time when she is playing in the park with her friends, who are all boys, Jules sees Jesminder play. Jules is an English, white
The concept of the masculinity of real men and femininity of real women has been questioned from one age to the next/ from one culture to another. Upon interviewing three people I have been able to identify cultural patterns. When one looks at society from a broad viewpoint we see a divergence among cultures because of the cultural bias’s implanted from an early age. Additionally, movements by men and women have been fortified because of the reactions to the rationales projected by different cultures. Throughout society the concept of real men and women has been inundated by differentiating cultures allowing for a mixing of belief systems however, someone’s principal belief comes from their family heritage.
In ‘Bend it Like Beckham’ the Indian culture is reconnoitered through conventional Sikh pious principles. For instance the importance of cultural rituals, cookery, clothing, the traditional role of a woman, and the particular importance given to elders (A. Ratna). The Indian Sikh culture integrates prayers into their daily life. For example, the Bhamra family hung a portrait of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism and Jess's mother is regularly praying and talking to the portrait. Unlike her mother, Jess has a portrait David Beckham, above her bed, and she is seen talking to the image about issues present on in her life. This portrait has a comparable part in Jess's life as that to the portrait of Guru Nanek.
Gender stereotypes are everywhere. ‘Both masculinities and femininities come into existence at specific times and places and are always subject to change.’ (Connell, 1995: 185 cited in Wharton, 2012: 6). The term gender is a ‘doing’ word. It is a constant, active process. A role, is the expected behaviour which is associated with a status. Roles are performed according to social norms, shared rules that guide people’s behaviour in specific situations.’ (The sociology of gender). The media play a huge role, it is argued, in acculturating men and women into separate gender roles based on their sex. Implying the idea that gender is learned and not ‘human nature’ (Jaggar, 1983) (Ross, Karen 2011).
Through the use of cinematic techniques, Hidden figures, a movie directed by Theodore Melfi and Bend it like Beckham by Gurinder Chadha both explore the dangers that are inherent in a marginalised society. Each text demonstrates that hope for change is needed in society as it can build the momentum for an individual to strive. Through these texts, we see that people have no conscience about harming others until they learn the truth about their circumstances. This is depicted by the way in which Jess’ coach Joe behaves after learning about her cultural expectations in Bend it like Beckham. Similarly, this is shown in Hidden Figures by Mr. Harrison. Both directors emphasise that the abuse of power leads to corruption and this can be seen through the segregation between the black and white people in Hidden Figures and the way in which cultural values overrule the lives of the Bhamra’s in Bend it like Beckham. Both characters highlight the importance of creating opportunities rather than seeking it, this is shown when Mary Jackson goes to court for educational rights in Hidden Figures and in Bend it like Beckham when Jess stands up to her father who appears to be patriotic about his cultural values. The resolutions to both texts justify that determination comes from within and that though many factors can outweigh a person’s ability to triumph, consistency can lead to rewarding results. As an audience we are able to further increase our understanding of perseverance through
I selected to do a cultural analysis on the movie “Bend It Like Beckham”. To give a rundown on the plot of the movie, there is a girl named Jess Bhamra, who is an Indian living in England. She is a very talented soccer player, but her parents will not permit her to play. One day, she meets a girl named Jules Paxton, who persuades Jess to play soccer. Throughout her time on the team, Jess has to make sure that her parents do not discover that she is playing professional soccer and that she has a growing crush for her coach, (Chadha, "Bend it like Beckham").
Books, plays, and movies that depict culture and social life often make statements about social issues such as gender roles, racism, and class distinction. Stories set up a context in which characters relate, often representing “stock” characters chosen from society and placed in situations where their stereotypical behaviors—and sometimes their breaking of these stereotypes—are highlighted. As feminism became a popular movement in Western countries in general and the United States in particular, female voices were naturally heard through fictional characters. Social and political issues commonly fuel entertainment; feminism, racism, and classism—recurring themes in entertainment through the 20th Century and into the modern day—have