Representation of women in the Media

Venus of Willendorf. Estimated to have been made between 28,000 and 25,000 BCE.
(Naturhistorisches Museum inVienna, Austria)

Venus of Laussel
Gravettian Upper
Paleolithic culture
(approximately 25,000
years old)
Musée d'Aquitaine
(Bordeaux, France)

The Venus of
Lespugue is aVenus
figurine, a statuette of a
nude female figure of
the Gravettian, dated to
between 26,000 and
24,000 years
ago.discovered in 1922
in the Rideaux cave
of Lespugue (Haute-
Garonne) in the foothills
of the Pyrenees by René
de Saint-Périer (1877-
1950).
The origins of the
Gravettian people are
not clear, but as their
Aurignacian
predecessors, they are
known for theirVenus
figurines.

 Aphrodite is the ancient Greek
goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation.
 Venus is the Roman goddess of love, beauty, desire, sex,
fertility, prosperity and victory. In Roman mythology, she
was the mother of the Roman people through her
son, Aeneas, who survived the fall ofTroy and fled to Italy.
 The Romans adapted the myths and iconography of
her Greek counterpart Aphrodite for Roman art and Latin
literature. In the later classical tradition of theWest,Venus
becomes one of the most widely referenced deities
of Greco-Roman mythology as the embodiment of love
and sexuality.

The Birth ofVenus. Sandro Botticelli (most probably made in the mid 1480s).

 In Greek mythology, a Charis (/ˈkeɪrɪs/; Greek: Χάρις, pronounced [kʰáris]) is one
of three or more minor goddesses of charm, beauty, nature, human creativity,
and fertility, together known as the Charites /ˈkærɪtiːz/ (Χάριτες [kʰáritɛːs])
or Graces.
 According to Greek poet Hesiod’s Theogony, there were three charites: Aglaia (or
Aglaea), which means radiance (or elegance); Euphrosine (or Euphrosyne), which
means joy (or mirth); andThalia, which means flowering (beauty associated with
youth). Born of one of Zeus’s affairs, the three Graces were pure virgins who lived
with the gods, served at the banquets and fostered joie de vivre.They served
Aphrodite, the goddess of love, and were never bored.
 In Roman mythology they were known as the Gratiae, the "Graces". In some
variants, Charis was one of the Graces and was not the singular form of their name.
 TheThree Graces is a representation of the mythological three charites, daughters
of Zeus, Euphrosyne, Aglaea andThalia - who were said to represent youth/beauty
(Thalia), mirth (Euphrosyne), and elegance (Aglaea).

TheThree Graces (Peter Paul Rubens, 1635)

• Is this an archetypal representation of femininity ?
• Why?

Boudica or Boudicca (Latinised as
Boadicea or Boudicea, and known
inWelsh as Buddug) was a queen of
the British Celtic Iceni tribe who led
an uprising against the occupying
forces of the Roman Empire in AD 60
or 61, and died shortly after its
failure.
John Opie (1761-1807)
Boadicea Haranguing the Britons

Joan of Arc
On May 23, 1430, she was captured by
the Duke of Burgundy’s men, jailed for
more than a year and put on trial for
charges including heresy, witchcraft and
violating divine law for dressing like a
man.
The English claimed many offenses
against Joan of Arc. But when they
burned her at the stake in Rouen, France
on May 30, 1431, they not only
immortalized the 19-year-old, but made
her a national symbol for the French
cause during the long-fought Hundred
Years’ War.

Archetypes, stereotypes and countertypes

 "We Can Do It!" is an American wartime propaganda
poster produced by J. Howard Miller in 1943 for
Westinghouse Electric as an inspirational image to boost
worker morale.The poster is generally thought to be
based on a black-and-white wire service photograph taken
of a Michigan factory worker named Geraldine Hoff.
 The poster was seen very little duringWorld War II. It was
rediscovered in the early 1980s and widely reproduced in
many forms, often called "We Can Do It!" but also called
"Rosie the Riveter" after the iconic figure of a strong
female war production worker.The "We Can Do It!" image
was used to promote feminism and other political issues
beginning in the 1980s.

 Women’s roles were greatly changed in the 1950s, with the men coming back from war
and taking their jobs back.
 DuringWorldWar II, women had taken men’s jobs while they had been away. After the
war, and although many women wanted to keep their jobs, an estimated 1,000,000
women (in America only) were made redundant, so men could occupy their former
jobs. Many of them became wives and mothers as the men came back from the war.
 In 1957, 70% of working women held clerical positions, assembly lines or service jobs.
12 % held a profession and 6% held management positions.Those that held
professional jobs worked as nurses and teachers.They found themselves taking care of
the house and of their children.

AngelaYvonne Davis (born January 26, 1944)
is an American political activist, academic, and
author. She emerged as a
prominent counterculture activist and radical
in the 1960s as a leader of the Communist
Party USA, and had close relations with
the Black Panther Party through her
involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. As
a result of purchasing firearms used in
the 1970 armed take-over of a Marin County,
California courtroom, in which four persons
were killed, she was prosecuted for
conspiracy. She was later acquitted of this
charge. She was a professor (now retired) at
the University of California, Santa Cruz, in
its History of Consciousness Department and a
former director of the university's Feminist
Studies department.
• Why?

The Starving Girl's GuideTo BeingThe PerfectWife

 In Greek mythology ("guardian, protectress")was a
monster, a Gorgon, generally described as having the
face of a hideous human female with living venomous
snakes in place of hair. Gazing directly into her eyes
would turn onlookers to stone.
 Medusa was beheaded by the hero Perseus, who
thereafter used her head, which retained its ability to
turn onlookers to stone, as a weapon until he gave it
to the goddessAthena to place on her shield. In
classical antiquity the image of the head of Medusa
appeared in the evil-averting device known as the
Gorgoneion.

Feminist interpretation
 In the 20th century, feminists reassessed Medusa's appearances in
literature and in modern culture, including the use of Medusa as a
logo by fashion companyVersace.The name "Medusa" itself is
often used in ways not directly connected to the mythological
figure but to suggest the gorgon's abilities or to connote
malevolence; despite her origins as a beauty, the name in
common usage "came to mean monster.“
 The book Female Rage: Unlocking Its Secrets, Claiming Its Power by
MaryValentis and Anne Devane notes that "When we asked
women what female rage looks like to them, it was always
Medusa, the snaky-haired monster of myth, who came to mind ...
In one interview after another we were told that Medusa is 'the
most horrific woman in the world' ... [though] none of the women
we interviewed could remember the details of the myth."[

Feminist interpretation
 Medusa's visage has since been adopted by many women as a symbol of
female rage; one of the first publications to express this idea was a
feminist journal called Women: AJournal of Liberation in their issue one,
volume six for 1978.The cover featured the image of the Gorgon Medusa
by Froggi Lupton, which the editors on the inside cover explained "can be
a map to guide us through our terrors, through the depths of our anger
into the sources of our power as women.“
 In issue three, Fall 1986 for the magazine Woman of Power an article
called Gorgons: A Face for ContemporaryWomen's Rage, appeared,
written by Emily Erwin Culpepper, who wrote that "The Amazon Gorgon
face is female fury personified.The Gorgon/Medusa image has been
rapidly adopted by large numbers of feminists who recognize her as one
face of our own rage."Griselda Pollock analyses the passage from
horrorism to compassion in the figure of the Medusa through Adriana
Cavarero's philosophy and Bracha Ettinger's art and Matrixial theory.

• Is this a stereotype?
• Why?

Female representation: countertypes
 Provide one example of a feminine countertype in
current media.

Funded by The National Lottery and developed by Sport England, its aim is to
help women overcome the fear of judgement that is stopping too many women
and girls from joining in.

• Is this a stereotype? Is it a countertype?
• Why?

Female/Feminist success as reflected by popular culture artefacts?
1950s 1994

 In 1994, advertising executiveTrevor Beattie, working forTBWA/London,
developed an ad for Sara Lee's "Hello Boys"Wonderbra campaign. It
featured a close-up image of Herzigová wearing a blackWonderbra.The
ad used only two words: "Hello boys."The campaign was considered
ground-breaking and controversial, resulting in complaints that the
photograph demeaned women.
 In spite of this, the influential poster was featured in an exhibition at
theVictoria andAlbert Museum in Londonand it was voted in at number
10 in a "Poster of the Century" contest.The Canada-based lingerie
fashion label wanted the ad campaign to motivate women to see the
Wonderbra "as a cosmetic and as a beauty enhancer rather than a
functional garment".The billboard was voted in 2011 as the most iconic
outdoor ad during the past five decades by the Outdoor Media Centre.

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/jul/01/protein-world-beach-body-ready-ads-asa

Times are good for plus-size models – as long as they are a size 16. But what about the bigger women looking
for representation?The editor of plus-size magazine Slink is scouting for new models.
In the UK, approximately 4.9 million women wear a size 18+, while our national average dress size is a 16. But
in the mainstream media, “straight-size” models – the ones you see every day in fashion shoots and on
catwalks – are a size 6-8, while our plus-size modelling industry starts at a size 12 and stops at a 16.
Confusing, right?
When I started Slink magazine, the UK’s only glossy aimed at women size 14+, the plus-size fashion industry
was much more niche, with far fewer supermodels of its own. Aside from the likes of Crystal Renn, plus-size
models had failed to make an impact on the industry as a whole.Things are different now. Models such as
Robyn Lawley, Denise Bidot and Candice Huffine are booking jobs everywhere fromTom Ford to Ralph
Lauren, walking at NewYork fashion week and shooting international covers for Elle andVogue Italia.
But as much as I love and respect the plus-size models we work with, I see the flaws in the industry, vocalised
by consumers of plus-size clothing and our readers. While many plus-size lines go past a size 26, the models
do not.With the majority of plus-size fashion transactions taking place online, visualising what that dress will
look like on a body shape very different to that of the model wearing it on screen is a conundrum for both
customers and brands.
Finding an agency in the UK specialising in women above a size 16 is near impossible, so when I met the
fashion brand Elvi and they asked for my advice on finding models that better represented their consumer
base, it became clear we would have to find our own.
The Elvi/Slink model competition is searching for four women, one in each size category: 20, 22, 24 and 26.
The winners will model (and keep) outfits from the spring/summer 2015 collection, which they will also model
online on the Elvi site and in SLiNK magazine. If you think this is for you, simply send your name, dress size
and a photo of yourself to models@elvi.co.uk (T&Cs apply; click here for more details).
http://www.theguardian.com/fashion/fashion-blog/2014/oct/16/wanted-plus-size-models-size-20-and-above

Go to:
 https://www.the-pool.com/news-views/opinion/2017/18/daisy-buchanan-on-daily-mail-s-
biggest-bottom-diagram
Choose one of these two questions and answer it:
 “(…)the shape of the ‘fashionable’ body fluctuates, and (…) is judged by nothing more
significant than the standards of the time we live in.” and “Often, the judgements are
sneaky, subjective and couched in vague terms.” What means the writer of this article in
these sentences? Explain on your own words, referring to the theories studied.
 “The worst thing that a woman can do is live out loud and exist unapologetically beyond
the norm”. What means the writer of this article in this sentence? Explain on your own
words, referring to the theories studied.
Choose one of these two questions and answer it:
 “(…) we’re poisoned by a culture that seeks to criticise and undermine women, even when
we’re trying our hardest to be approved of.” To what extent do you agree with this
statement? Discuss referring to your cases of study and the theories studied.
 “Womanhood is constantly turned into a competition. Even if we have no interest in taking
part we’re forced to enter – and no one has a hope of winning.” To what extent do you
agree with this statement? Discuss referring to your cases of study and the theories
studied.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g__ANxxwKIk

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3wYIjI8WcI

Mad Men (Matthew Weiner, 2007-2015)

www.netflix.com/Orange-is-the-New-Black

Our Girl is a British television military drama series,
written and created byTony Grounds, first
broadcast on BBC One on 24 March 2013.
Georgie is a medic in the army and goes off on tour,
however they take away from her job throughout
theTV series by introducing a love triangle
between Georgia, her ex fiancé Elvis and current
fiancé.
They also suggest Georgie is weak when she and
Kiki are kidnapped being the only females.
Despite showing some signs of courage and clever
thinking to get herself free, Georgia ends up being
saved by her ‘hero’ ex (Elvis), immediately falling
into the stereotypical representation of men and
women in the media.

Gone girl (David Fincher, 2014)

A vibrant and colourful British
comedy about a young girl from a Sikh family
who desperately wants to play football against
the wishes of her traditional parents.
The film explores a number of themes , such as
clashes of culture and family traditions, and
gives us two main areas of study in terms of
representation: gender and the BritishAsian
experience.These two areas can be brought
together by looking at the main protagonists,
Jess and Jules, their respective families and
the issues explored.

Jess is the central character and in the main, we follow
the story through her experiences. She is shown as an
intelligent young woman, who tries to be a ‘good’ girl for
her mother and father, but who is also passionate
about playing football. Jess has already started to move
away from traditional ways (her name is
westernised from Jesminder) whilst her family think that
football will have a corrupting influence - ‘showing your
bare legs to the boys’ says her mother. However, her
rebellious streak is not aimed to hurt her
parents. Her mother wants her daughter to be more
‘traditional’ and tries to stop her buying a sports bra and
worried that her obsession with football is making her
less feminine.
Challenging gender stereotypes

 A 2010 dramatization of the 1968
strike at the Ford Dagenham car
plant, where female workers
walked out in protest against
sexual discrimination- women
workers were all underpaid despite
working the same jobs as the men.
 Eventually the factory end up
having to shut and its left to Rita
and the women to persuade
everyone they are equally as
important.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvAluExqXJo
 The ad is based on the biblical narrative of ‘Noah’sArk’.
 The women came in twos which could suggest that they behave like
animals towards the man – someone who is attractive.
 This is a negative representation of women as it reinforces oppression
upon women within society, as well as the power men have over women.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utiBTPtCweI

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShlW5plD_40

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My2FRPA3Gf8
 https://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2013/12/28/my-two-cents-on-feminism-and-miley-cyrus/

 https://www.vevo.com/watch/robin-thicke/blurred-lines-(unrated-
version)/USUV71300526
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blurred_Lines

Beyonce performs onstage at the 2014 MTVVideo Music Awards at
The Forum on August 24, 2014 in Inglewood, California.

Marilyn Monroe in “Gentlemen prefer blondes” (Howard Hawks, 1953)

Singer Beyonce performs onstage during the 2014 MTVVideo Music
Awards atThe Forum on August 24, 2014 in Inglewood, California.

“Women are currently being disempowered through the very discourses
of empowerment they are being offered as substitutes for feminism…This
new feminism looks so much like the old, conventional (ideas of )
femininity” (Angela McRobbie)

 McRobbie introduces the concept of “Post-feminist masquerade” as
one form of dispersed and body-oriented gender power central to
the (re)production of masculine hegemony. Exemplified by the “so-
called fashionista,” (McRobbie, p. 67) the post-feminist masquerade
and its various incarnations — the well-educated working girl, the
swearing and boozing phallic girl, and the racialized global girl — are
adopted freely and self-consciously as statements of personal
choice and female empowerment. Paradoxically, however, the post-
feminist masquerade operates as an ironic, quasi-feminist gesture,
while at the same time, warding off any potential threat or challenge
to the traditional patriarchal authority.

The “This is how a feminist looks like” campaign

Apart from the obvious decontextualisation and
political instrumentalisation of the concept
feminism shown in the previous examples, some
other debates which imply ideological
confrontations have prompted from the media.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2827035/Scandal-62p-hour-T-shirts-
Shame-feminists-betrayed-cause-writes-ROSIE-BOYCOTT.html
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/04/feminist-t-shirts-made-
ethical-conditions-fawcett-society
http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/sustainable-fashion-
blog/2014/nov/08/feminist-t-shirt-scandal-ethical-problem-economic

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