Gender Issues In Billy Elliot

Gender roles have been a hotly debated topic in the most recent years, especially the role of women in society. Women have had set expectations that they are believed to conform to, which is shown in many pieces of film and literature. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald describes the life of a man in the upper class in the 1920’s, as well as women in the 1920’s. The movie The Princess Bride, written by William Goldman, visually explains the treatment and expectations of women, and especially focuses on the “damsel in distress” stereotype.. Roxane Gay’s “Bad Feminist” explains the stereotypes against women and ways women can come together and fight these constraints. Based on these sources, societal expectations take away from each individual’s identity, forcing women to conform to society's standards. In order to fight against these expectations, women have banded together and formed movements against these standards.

This is a man’s movie all the way to the core. Look at Wyatt Earp; he was a MAN if you know what I mean. I definitely think that is why I enjoyed the movie so much myself. It just gives you a glimpse of what it means to manly and tough. We have it easy these days in not having to battle for our own dignity whenever someone calls you out. I forgot how good this film is seeing how that is had been a long time since the last time I watched it, but I had never observed in the way I did to complete this paper. This process has given me a new appreciation for the little things I enjoy subconsciously in movies, but never have the opportunity to really express in words. I would recommend this film to anyone who has not seen it yet in a heart

in the way women are portrayed in modern culture and society. The documentary forces us to

Billy Elliot was a story of adversity and struggle. It follows a young boy who becomes a great success at ballet after he starts attending dance classes instead of his boxing classes. The play uses parallel storylines of the struggle for coal mine workers’ rights and Billy’s struggle to become a great dancer. It takes place in an impoverished town in the UK during the 80’s but it was performed in 2017 at the Berkeley playhouse. The play is impactful because it satires gender stereotypes and advocates for the payoff of hard work.

In conclusion, the film She’s the Man shows the audience how gender gets represented in films. It shows the traditional femininity as well as the traditional masculinity. This illustrates that gender has impacts on power and gender relations to contribute gender inequality. Gender norms are enforced in films which maintain the power inequality difference between both genders. These issues confine the way modern films represent gender and gives a direct effect to the

 The film looks at masculinity through numerous stereotypes involving athleticism, careers, crime, medias, intimacy, and bullying. Newsom effectively delivers her message through interviewing a variety of people. Not only through professionals like psychologists, pediatricians, educators, sociologists, political scientist, psychiatrists, athletes, actors, and writers. But also through community

Gender roles often have disastrous consequences for people who struggle to fill their assigned stereotype. Last Wednesday, Carnegie Mellon had a special showing of a new film, The Mask You Live In, that focuses on how society’s narrow definition of masculinity can cause more harm than good.

because it depicts an image of masculinity as power, and at the same time femininity

Moving onto gender roles and ideas, these characteristics in genders are needed in any sort of story to suit the values and attitudes of the people of that time. Gender stereotypes are a major piece to the puzzle of a film. Women are generally seen as less dominant, pushovers, the cares of everyone and that they have no independence. Whist men are seen as the more dominant, masculine, heroes, brave and courageous. This is across all genres of movies, the girl is the damsel in distress and the boy ends up saving her at the end of it.

Growing up in a tight knit community means Billy is constrained to follow the traditions upheld by the men in his family, these include stereotypical male activities like boxing and mining. Due to Jackie, Billy’s fathers, status in the community people look up to him as a masculine figurehead, this role is soon jeopardised by Billy’s new-found passion for Ballet. One scene shows Billy coming home after ballet and running straight to his room in an attempt to hide his ballet shoes under his bed, his father walks past and asks what he is doing, Billy then hides his shoes and says he has lost his boxing gloves to which Billy’s father replies “They were my dad's gloves. You better take better care of them, okay?” This suggests Jackie wishes for Billy to continue the boxing tradition. The traditional violence of boxing is carried across into Jackie and his eldest son’s, Tony, activities. The two are seen as trailblazers for the frenzied

The film sets a certain viewpoint on gender. It labels men and woman a certain way. Women in the film are set to be delicate and sex-driven. Men are set to be tough, brutal, workers. Marla was played by a thin, attractive, petite actress. Her clothes were always feminine. Tyler was played by a fit, muscled man that fit society's definition of attractive. The movie made it clear that men are masculine, and women are feminine. Basow said, “Gender is constructed by every socializing agent and force in society: parents, teachers, the media,

I wonder who the target audience was. Why is there only one female character in this movie, and why is she just a love interest and used to show the power struggle between the two men? Do other character represent masculinity? How does this movie influence and impact its audience? Positive or negative messages? Why do the men need to fight? How does this reinstate their masculinity? Are Tyler’s acts of violence due to masculinity or anti-capitalism? What does the narrator find in support groups for diseases he doesn't have that subdues his emotional state?

The film industry has created the conventional gender roles of society into their movies. A majority of films have supported some of the male and female stereotypes. In the history of the film industry, the role of men is primarily that of the stereotypical working class man or hero, while the roles of women are primarily portrayed as being somewhat inferior to men. In the 1930s through the 1970s, men held the leading roles in films while women played smaller roles. In terms of jobs, women were given mostly family roles and rarely were shown outside of their homes, while men had successful careers and did many activities outside of home. “Women were shown doing housework and men were the beneficiaries of their work” (“Women’s roles in the

The film appeals to its target audience by many different features. For men there

The simplest way to increase gender equality is by creating more roles for women. According to 2007-2012 film statistics reviewed by the New York Film Academy, the “average ratio of male actors to female actors is 2.25:1.” With less females onscreen than males, men continue to be the majority in movies. It is important to portray realistic representations of everyday life in where “women comprise 50 percent of the population” (Green, Women In Film Los Angeles). It is also important for women and young girls to have a variety of role models to look up to. With more women in movies, young girls will begin to understand that being a woman does not limit what they can do. Organizations such as Women in Film were created to help by “promoting equal opportunities for women, encouraging creative projects by women, and expanding and enhancing portrayals of women in all forms of global