2. Stereotypes of male and females
The sexual stereotyping of men and women has a profound impact on our
society. From sex stereotypes about men in relationship to stereotypes of
women’s sexuality, these prejudicial attitudes affect us all, including the
directors decisions.
Common Sexual Stereotypes of
Men:
Men are tough and powerful.
Men are unfeeling and insensitive.
Men are logical, sensible and rational.
Men are afraid to commit in a
relationship and form an attachment.
Men are primarily interested in their
careers or vocations.
Men do not have a primary interest
in marriage and parenthood.
Common Sexual Stereotypes of
Women:
Women are helpless and childish.
Women are sensitive and intuitive.
Women are scatterbrained, unstable
and irrational.
Women can easily form deep
emotional attachments.
Women do not have a primary
interest in their careers or vocations.
Women are primarily interested in a
long term relationship and
parenthood.
3. Fish Tank
In the film Fish Tank the main female character 'Mia'
challenges the typical female stereotype as she
dresses in male clothing and acts more like a male
than a female, for example, through drinking beer
and getting into fights. An example of a scene
where she acts very un-lady like is when she
urinates on her mum's boyfriend, Conner's, carpet.
However, in specific scenes within the film you do
see an insight into her inner femininity as she
expresses her love for dance, horses and Conner.
4. This is England
Lol is a perfect example of the woman character in This is
England. She is almost seen as a 'female Woody'. Whenever
these bigger situations arise, Lol turns to Woody as if to say
to him that he needs to act upon the situation. Lol's
character also dresses similar to Woody e.g. black jacket and
polo shirts. This emphasises the fact that she acts as a
female Woody and as does half of her head shaved reminds
us that she is strong whereas the fringe side of her similar
connotes and emphasises her feminine and calm quality.
5. Kidulthood
Trevor wears fashionable clothing. He even admits to
dumping his girlfriend because she started "wanting hugs at
school" and he was concerned about "what the boys might
think." This conveys that youth/men care more about
appearances than relationships. Trevor and Jay (his friend)
are seen playing a football video game in Trevor's room. This
provides a conventional representation of British men, as
football currently has a hegemonic status in the UK, and is
enjoyed by a large proportion of British men. He smokes,
this conveys a negative representation of youth as modern
society views smoking as unhealthy and unattractive.
6. Conclusion
As I will be needing both male and female actors in my
opening 2 minutes of my film, I will need to apply certain
characteristics to my actors. For example, my film will need
a strong female protagonist that does not conform to the
norms and values of her society and religion.
For my male character, a hard-headed and self-absorbed
character is required. One that has the attitude of a alphamale and expects everything and everyone to abide to his
will.
