Feminism theory

Magazines

1) What examples are provided from the two texts of the 'male gaze' (Mulvey)?

Pan Am and Beyonce's Why Don't you love me?
2) Do texts such as these show there is no longer a need for feminism or are they simply sexism in a different form?

They both are the same interpretation and view of women as 'sex objects' and agree with Butler's view that this is a cliche and dominant construction of femininity which also links to Mulvey's theory that women are just here to please men and are for men to look at. The producers of these texts make sure that females are presented a certain way such as in WDYLM, it portrays typical roles of women. This is sufficient evidence for feminism to still exist in the modern day. 
3) Choose three words/phrases from the glossary of the article and write their definitions on your blog.

Post feminism- – An ideology in culture and society that society is somehow past needing 
feminism and that the attitudes and arguments of feminism are no longer needed.

Patriarchy – An ideology that places men in a dominant position over women.

Nostalgia- – A sentimental longing for the past, often only remembering the positives of the time.

Now read The Theory Drop: Gender Performativity (MM69, page 25) and answer the following questions.

1) How does the writer suggest gender performativity is established from a young age?

They suggest that your gender doesn't determine your interests and it all falls on 'nature vs nurture'. And the actions of your upbringing influences the bias of your performance

2) What does the phrase 'non-binary' refer to and how does it link to Butler's theory?

It is when someone confirms themselves as not 100% male of female but as a mix of both. This links to Butler's theory as they themselves, have realised that genders are culturally constructed and not permanently set in stone.  
3) How and why does the media help reinforce gender stereotypes? The writer provides several examples in the final section of the article.

Although there have been many initiatives to support alternative gender stereotypes, the predominantly male media enforces an overarching patriarchal influence which has been the norm - often challenged and criticised. 
 Things we learn from a young age have become dominant representations and we often accept that as the way things 'always' are. We are then used to making these presumptions that people have a predetermined gender due to cultural learning- arguably making viewers passive and more likely to conform to mainstream media.

YouTube video analysis: 

1) How might this video contribute to Butler’s idea that gender roles are a ‘performance’?

Beyonce portrays an image of women that are extremely popular and constructed such as they're always in the kitchen. This makes an argument that Butler's theory is reason to why this video is seen as sexist. Butler argues that our gendered identities are realised by a constant performance in gendered activities. Women are seen as 'objects' for men to look upon and that is a constructed gender performance quality that has been learnt through behaviour exhibited, often at a young age. 
2) What might van Zoonen suggest regarding the representation of women in this video?

As Beyonce8is dressed up here in sexually evocative clothes, van Zoonen's theory comes into play that women are 'spectacles'. This is said to be by van Zoonen " A core element of western patriarchal society" which has become the norm for many people. This theory is enhanced by the angles that focus on her body parts - further supporting the 'male gaze' theory

3) What are YOUR views on this debate – does Beyonce empower women or reinforce the traditional ‘male gaze’ and oppression of women? 

She reinforces the male gaze quite a lot in the video. Although this is about empowering women somewhat, this makes it seem that women are nothing but a 'spectacle' to be enjoyed by men. Furthermore, she is doing all housework, supporting the secondary role suggestion by van Zoonen. 

1) How does the video suggest representations of masculinity have changed in recent years?

The song is about how society idolises the perfect man and how they have to tick a certain criteria to achieve that role. This subverts that view and instead, make sit clear that masculinity is not defined by actions but indeed your behaviour and choice.
2) What does David Gauntlett suggest about representations of men in the media over the last 20 years?#

Since the 90s third wafve of feminism, Gauntlett suggests that the boom of media consumption in recent decades suggests that the more exposure we have to the media, the more likely we are to conform to those dominant or alternative stereotypes, based on influences. 

3) What is YOUR view on the representation of men and masculinity? Are young men still under pressure from the media to act or behave in a certain way?

I think in recent years, men have been given more freedom to express their masculinity how they want as opposed to expressing it via a set of strict and often outdated guidelines. Men are sometimes viewed as the 'problem of feminism' but that is not representative of all men, making them question whether they are 'man' enough. 

I think certain media outlets pressure men in acting certain ways such as GQ Mens - reinforcing typical stereotypes of men's interests. This 'interests' idea has been widely regarded as outdated and meaningless in recent times - supporting men to express their masculinity how they want.