Gender Stereotypes In The Rocky Horror Picture Show

In Chrys Ingraham’s “One is Not Born A Bride,” heterosexuality isn’t solely recognized as sexual orientation or sexual identity; instead, it’s believed that “heterosexuality operates as a highly organized social institution” (Ingraham 303). When Jenny first comes out, her mother claims Jenny’s homosexuality changes the way she perceives her daughter. The mother’s reaction isn’t abnormal, as many people are initially surprised when discovering someone identifies as gay. This is the result of the heterosexual imaginary, which romanticizes heterosexuality and “prevents [society] from seeing how institutionalized heterosexuality actually works to organize gender while preserving racial, class, and sexual hierarchies” (Ingraham 304). Jenny’s mother associates marriage with heterosexuality because that is the conditioned “norm;” it’s what people are taught to expect. “The wedding ritual represents a major site for the installation and maintenance of the institution of heterosexuality” (Ingraham 303). When imagining her daughter’s “white wedding,” she never thought it would involve two women. Additionally, the mother is confused about other aspects of the relationship. She says to her husband, “I wonder who proposed” and the father tells her that Jenny did. Traditionally, the man proposes to the woman. This expectation reinforces gender roles—the belief that men should be in control and should initiate a marriage. Picturing their daughter take on a “male role,” such as being the one to propose, somewhat alters their view of the heterosexual

In Todd Haynes’s Carol (2015), silver bells and tinsel cover the walls and shelves of Frankeberg’s department store in the scene where main characters Carol (Cate Blanchett) and Therese (Rooney Mara) first meet. Through swarms of busstling holiday shoppers, Therese’s timid gaze lands on Carol - a strikingly beautiful, sophisticated, and self assured woman. As Carol’s gaze meets Therese’s, viewers sense an undeniable attraction. Throughout the film, and specifically in this scene, attention to mise-en-scène and cinematography helps convey messages surrounding homosexual themes in the film. Intricate mise-en-scene plays with the characterization of Carol and Therese

Didion’s continuous derogative tone towards the Las Vegas wedding scene places her above the newlyweds of the absurd weddings. She differentiates herself and the implausible and bizarre captivating wedding scene that’s unlike any other. She describes the Las Vegas wedding an illegitimate ‘expectations’ for brides and grooms. The use of quotations surrounding the word ‘expectation’ sarcastically details her anecdotes. She even goes as far as to describe the Las Vegas wedding as a children’s game. After noticing “actual wedding parties”, Didion judges the weddings on the basis of her expectations and builds skepticism of the wedding industry. She criticized a young pregnant bride that outspokenly said, ‘“It was just as nice as I hoped and dreamed it would be’”. Sadly society has diverted away from tradition and has been blindsided by business and industries that take advantage of insensible and oblivious citizens.

In the 2005 film The Wedding Crashers directed David Dobkin show many normal gender stereotypes and gender inequalities that are still present in today’s society. The film mainly focuses on two divorce mediators Jeremy and John who enjoy sneaking into wedding parties in order to get drunk off free booze and seduce bridesmaids. Certainly, the film exposes the bromance relationship that Jeremy and John have, which opposes the hegemonic masculinity that society renders on. Their attendance to Secretary Williams’s party exhibits the patriarchy of a white, rich, and powerful man. And lastly the way the guys view women as part of objectification and women displaying sexual agency towards these two gentlemen has been able to change overtime in society where both concepts have become a norm.

Watch the movie Tangled and you’ll find yourself hooked, desiring the knowledge of what’s next. While watching this movie, two main literary themes became apparent. Disney's Tangled is the story of a stolen girl trapped in a castle with her captor as a mother. Throughout the story, Rapunzel wants nothing more but to leave her . Tangled’s plot employs many gender stereotypes and shows a large socio-economic divide.

Influence is the capacity or power of persons to produce an effect on the actions of others. Victor Flemming, the director of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, depicts a message that revolves around the reversal of power and gender roles. Moreover, Dorothy is a child in her physical presence but lives the role of a hero as she leads the scarecrow, lion, and tin man to the Wizard himself. Through the archetypes such as the hero being a women, Cultural values, and the stages of the journey, Flemming raises the argument that in this case those who don 't have much influence in society are very influential in the Emerald City.

The film All That Heaven Allows lends itself strongly to the classic melodrama genre, a genre well known for being dramatic, emotional and exaggerated in order to tug on the viewer’s heartstrings. Melodramas usually portray the typical cliché and cheesy romantic or domestic situations that cater to the female audience. More often than not, stereotypes associated with class, gender, race, age and ethnicity are addressed and reinforced in this particular genre. In discussing Sirk’s work, Laura Mulvey describes melodrama as a genre that can be “seen to have an ideological function in working certain contradictions through to the surface and re-presenting them in an aesthetic form” (Powell, p.2; Mulvey, p.79). Sirk uses melodramas to show the failure of the ideologies that dominated society during

At first glance Disney’s Lady and the Tramp released in 1955 is a classic romantic love story between two dogs where the upper-class girl falls in love with a lower class boy. It follows the struggles they encounter when trying to be together. However, after reading Locating America: Revisiting Disney’s Lady and the Tramp by Daniel Goldmark and Utz McKnight it is clear that the undertones of the film tell the viewers a different story. The film depicts how American culture should be and what is socially acceptable in America. This has been made clear by different sections of the film that will be examined throughout the paper.

It also shows the higher social status of elders in the community. In performing the rituals and traditions of the wedding, which are gender segregated, a performance of gender is embodied. Cowan uses the phrase ‘entering the dance’ to denote entering the field in which knowing what is and isn’t appropriate action, in potentially sexualised and physically intimate scenario is imperative. Therefore, meta-narratives and framing equips participants with the knowledge of appropriate codified norms of behaviour, to be employed in the time and place of the dance rituals. Furthermore, the performers become the dance, putting on the persona of the dancer, adopting the metaphorical masque to ‘perform’ the dance. Cowan argues that social dancing poses specific ‘problems’, as well as pleasures, for women and girls, which differ from the problems and pleasures it poses for boys and men. For the male, the pleasure and problems both stem from alcohol, and maintaining the dominant male status attached to consuming large amounts of alcohol (Cowan 1990: 110 – 112), whilst simultaneously making oneself vulnerable to illness or embarrassment resulting from drinking and drunken antics. For woman, it also concerns how identity is managed beyond the dance. However, concerns revolve around

This article is divided into three different sections- Finucane’s Theory, the Hottie Mystique and the media onslaught. The Finucane Theory comes about because of a mother that was worried about her daughter and the influence they were having on her. Her theory states “Many Parents and commentators defend Happily Ever After against what some critics call a rising “feminist attack,” and credit the comely ladies with teaching values such as kindness, reading, love of animals, and perseverance. When questioned, Disney never really responded to the allegations but stated the same standard statement, “For 75 years, millions of little girls and their

Horror movies throughout history have been known to have their cheesy storylines or continuous bad acting. Especially horror movies. People nowadays could easily spot the flaws in a film and judge them drastically in reviews. Yet, little do people notice the ongoing discrimination between genders. Horror films tend to portray males and females substantially differently because of stereotypical views. There seems to be a pattern in which each gender takes a certain role in a movie continuously. Females are shown to be “objects” such as sex and emotional symbols, while males are shown as strong or powerful and moreover as the main bad guy. Although some of the newer edition films of the horror genre are displaying each gender more and more equal throughout the ongoing years, the gender discrimination dilemma still exists and can be seen by the statistics in the movie industry in general.

After watching the movie I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, I felt enthralled to dive deeper into the topics associated within the movie. So I begin by researching and conducting sociological analysis of the characters’ genders and sexualities. In addition, I will be examining the movie based on gender, socialization, media and evaluating the acceptance and portrayal of gay people in this particular movie. To further increase the depth and validity of the paper, I will be using terminology that directly applies to the situation, by which I shall break down accordingly. Throughout the paper, I will share with you my analysis that I have formulated, through the deconstruction of this movie.

The portrayal of women, gender roles and stereotypes in Disney films has long been a controversial topic. Disney’s 1959 animated film, ‘Sleeping Beauty’, and Robert Stromberg’s 2014 live action remake, ‘Maleficent’, each provide a different take of Charles Perrault’s 1697 fairy tale, ‘La Belle au bois Dormant’ (‘The Sleeping Beauty’). The comparison of Aurora, one of the main characters from both films, brings into light the stark contrast in portrayals of gender roles as well as physical ideals and stereotypes in women. Emphasis or lack thereof on physical characteristics and gender representation from both texts challenge and reflect ideals and stereotypes that are impactful to the audience.

Disney is one of the most successful and largest companies in the world. They have their hand in nearly every form of entertainment as well as media, and broadcasting. Disney is best known for their animated films, unique cartoon characters, catchy musicals, and fairy tales that most of us were first introduced to as children. They are one of the few entertainment companies in the World whose primary demographic is children and teens. Nearly everybody is familiar with the Disney name and its brand, and its realistic to suggest that nearly everybody has experienced a Disney film and animated character at some point in their lives; which may have helped to influence them or their behaviors or even their

The Rocky Horror Picture Show , directed by Jim Chapman, is a campy comedy musical set in a horror and science fiction themed castle in which sexuality and hilarity run rampant. The film, closely based on a stage production, hit theaters in 1975 and continued to rule the midnight film scene, becoming a cult-classic. By using homage and allusion to science fiction and horror B-films, lambasting sexual identity and gender normality, and employing a self-referential universe, The Rocky Horror Picture Show stands as a strong representation of 1970 's postmodernism in film.